Picture this: it’s after school and you are heading to McDonald’s to grab some fast food with your friends. This should be a simple task, right? All of a sudden someone is speeding by you yelling degrading words and homophobic slurs at you out of their window.
This exact incident happened to a member of ELHS’ LGBTQ+ community, and is one of many that show the reality for some of our school’s students, where a simple and fun task can turn sour in an instant.
Homophobia remains as an issue in many educational environments, and continues to impact the safety and well-being of people both within and apart from the LGBTQ+ community. Oftentimes homophobia takes the disguised form of a joke or a quick point and laugh. This can lead to these interactions being undetected and therefore unpunished and ignored.
Regardless of the intentions behind these actions, this creates a threatening environment for LGBTQ+ students. The normalization of homophobic acts, especially in the form of jokes and pranks, can have negative impacts not only on the students who feel targeted by these “jokes,” but also on the community in general.
“It [homophobia within the school] is mostly present when you’re subject to that kind of ‘being made fun of,’ and it’s
embarrassing to know that if you respond seriously, people aren’t gonna think it’s funny anymore because it’s expected to be treated as a joke,” GSA Club president and senior Ava Limauge said. Limauge has had personal experience regarding homophobia, as have many in the GSA.
The GSA has been essential in creating a safe space for students to share and connect with those that have had similar experiences. The club holds meetings to talk about ways to stop homophobia and overall create a better environment. The GSA is attending a conference in May about ways to change or combat homophobia in school environments.
“I think knowing that the GSA is there, and knowing that there’s a group who are comfortable being out is good, and it’s good to know you’re not alone,” Limauge said.
Many teachers, including GSA Club advisor and German teacher Laura Hanley, work with and help support students in the GSA and around the school. Ms. Hanley, like many other teachers in the school, has tried to take action against homophobia in the past. However, incidents can oftentimes occur outside of school or other times that leave teachers oblivious to these incidents.
“Being able to support people who are experiencing that [homophobia] in any way and believing them is really important because they are the ones living it,” Ms. Hanley said.
When these incidents are reported, they are most times settled privately with one or both assistant principals Henry Kydd and Julie Shvetz. Students who have had experiences with them in the past report having a positive and supportive experience settling these matters.
ELHS as a community strives to be a safe space for all students alike and hope to achieve this through open conversations and support of students’ efforts to create a healthy and inclusive environment.
“There’s discussions and education that needs to happen about media kids consume and how they interact with jokes,” English teacher Alexa Kydd said.
