I have experienced microaggressions and discrimination in minor ways at school and in drastic ways outside of school, as well as in other schools all across the board. I have had some teachers make some jokes about it to me in ways like, “oh, we’re buddies, we are on good terms I can joke about this cause you’re queer so, that’s fine.” I have also been harassed in bathrooms a lot in other schools, and locations around the city. I was at an event at Parkrose and I thought this was pretty clever, so props to them for not being boring, I went into the bathroom and they started singing, “One of these things is not like the other.” "I can look back on it and laugh but it is still like...I feel like I can’t go into rooms and not be harassed."
I feel like the equity lessons were a really good step in the right direction. I wanted to be part of the blog because as a queer person seeing movements in the right direction really inspires me to work with other queer people, but also other people who are discriminated against for any part of their personality, their life, their looks or whatever- I just want to work together to make sure our school is the safest place as possible.
I haven’t heard about these kind of lessons at any other schools, but I am all on board with what is going on. I feel as if the people who are putting this forward really have the best intentions and want to help make it as safe of a place as possible. Since I am a MAA student the environment in MAA is a little bit more close knit and people who generally attend the school are probably a little more left leaning, or open by nature. It has been a very comfortable environment for me and the equity lessons themselves were worded very well and as inclusive as possible, focusing on aspects of racial intolerance that aren't really touched on as much.
I can’t speak for everybody in the queer community. The way one is accepted is extremely dependent on the environment you are in and how you feel about yourself.
"I feel like personally for me it’s been a lot of ups and downs. It’s never a straight line; it’s always a lot of curves going in a lot of different directions."
I feel that with the current political climate our country is in, I have definitely been more paranoid about my safety and about my stability.I really enjoy everything that is going on with our school since the lessons. It makes me feel as if different minority groups are being as supported as possible in our environment by the staff, and the people involved with the equity team. I feel like the diversity assembly was very well put together, and was the best kind of assembly of that type that I have ever seen.
Thank you everyone involved with the lessons, and everybody who supports the different minorities that our school and every other school in our country has. We’re strong and we are going to make it through this.
Stevie Pendleton