Students Unite to Encourage Campus Inclusivity
Gender Sexuality Alliance and Leadership work together to reduce the use of derogatory slurs
By Isabella Wight
Gender Sexuality Alliance and Leadership work together to reduce the use of derogatory slurs
By Isabella Wight
Continued use of anti-LGBTQ slurs on campus has teachers and students concerned about the impacts on campus life and student mental health.
To combat the discrimination and ridicule that minority students face, the Gender Sexuality Alliance and leadership class are aiming to create a more accepting and inclusive environment, possibly be holding events to educate students and eradicate the problem.
The GSA is brainstorming ideas on how to decrease the use of slurs against certain communities and encourage teachers to speak up when they overhear slurs. They want to bring in all clubs and groups that revolve around ethnicity and culture and have a week about educating students on discriminatory language.
“Although words may seem like just that, words, they have meaning and power behind them. When you use a word, especially one that is associated with a specific identity and attach negative connotations to it, you are then saying that identity is an inherently negative thing. Slurs also carry powerful, harmful histories that further increase the impact of their use,” said English teacher and GSA adviser Chanel Sulc.
Sulc said that even if people don’t use these words directly towards people, it could still make them feel uncomfortable and afraid to be themselves, forcing them to attend school in an unsafe environment where they can’t truly express themselves.
GSA President Gareth Allison, 11, refuses to hear such slurs used against him in his place of education.
“I shouldn’t come to school and hear how I identify as something bad and gross. The words used against the LGBTQ community are something used during a time where we couldn’t be ourselves and now they continue to be said,” said Allison.
Many feel that the only way to understand the negative effects on the LGBTQ community is to become educated on the topic. Leadership student Alex Dawson, 9, feels it is vital to educate people on the history of slurs and that the student body could become stronger if people were educated about each other.
“It’s definitely important to educate people, because if we don’t educate them on the topic then they won’t understand it. I feel like that’s a big problem in our society, not accepting people because they’re different than us. I feel like if we educate people then they’ll work better together,” said Dawson.
Dawson also can relate to the feeling of being torn down by insults. He talked about how it can affect people’s mental health.
“I’ve gotten a lot of insults in my life by a lot of people and eventually it starts to wear on you,” said Dawson. “It really isn’t a fun thing to go through and it can attract people away from being part of certain communities or being different and it can just ruin people’s lives.”
To combat the discrimination and ridicule that minority students face, the Gender Sexuality Alliance and leadership class are aiming to create a more accepting and inclusive environment, possibly be holding events to educate students and eradicate the problem.
The GSA is brainstorming ideas on how to decrease the use of slurs against certain communities and encourage teachers to speak up when they overhear slurs. They want to bring in all clubs and groups that revolve around ethnicity and culture and have a week about educating students on discriminatory language.
“Although words may seem like just that, words, they have meaning and power behind them. When you use a word, especially one that is associated with a specific identity and attach negative connotations to it, you are then saying that identity is an inherently negative thing. Slurs also carry powerful, harmful histories that further increase the impact of their use,” said English teacher and GSA adviser Chanel Sulc.
Sulc said that even if people don’t use these words directly towards people, it could still make them feel uncomfortable and afraid to be themselves, forcing them to attend school in an unsafe environment where they can’t truly express themselves.
GSA President Gareth Allison, 11, refuses to hear such slurs used against him in his place of education.
“I shouldn’t come to school and hear how I identify as something bad and gross. The words used against the LGBTQ community are something used during a time where we couldn’t be ourselves and now they continue to be said,” said Allison.
Many feel that the only way to understand the negative effects on the LGBTQ community is to become educated on the topic. Leadership student Alex Dawson, 9, feels it is vital to educate people on the history of slurs and that the student body could become stronger if people were educated about each other.
“It’s definitely important to educate people, because if we don’t educate them on the topic then they won’t understand it. I feel like that’s a big problem in our society, not accepting people because they’re different than us. I feel like if we educate people then they’ll work better together,” said Dawson.
Dawson also can relate to the feeling of being torn down by insults. He talked about how it can affect people’s mental health.
“I’ve gotten a lot of insults in my life by a lot of people and eventually it starts to wear on you,” said Dawson. “It really isn’t a fun thing to go through and it can attract people away from being part of certain communities or being different and it can just ruin people’s lives.”