Award Winning Online Anonymous Reporting Tools For Students
How can we work together to end homophobia (hatred or fear of gay people) and discrimination against sexual orientation and gender identity among students?
LGBTQ2S stands for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgendered, Questioning, and 2 spirited students
At school we spend almost 10,000 hours throughout our youth together! This is a significant portion of our lives that we spend with each other, with peers, classmates, friends, best friends, and acquaintances. We are essentially one big family. One of my favourite movie quotes comes from “Lilo and Stitch” where Lilo tells Stitch that “Ohana” means ‘Family’ [in Hawaiian] “and Family means nobody gets left behind… Or Forgotten”
As a family, we won’t always get along, but we need to respect each other and our differences. We can achieve this by promoting a caring and safe school environment for ALL students. This includes being mindful of how we talk to each other and the language we use. Avoiding statements such as calling someone a “fag” or saying “That’s so gay”.
Defined:
Sexual Orientation – gay, lesbian, bisexual, pansexual – describes which gender identities you’re attracted to.
Gender Identity is the way you feel about and express your gender (male, female, both, neither).
We have to respect that students who identify as a sexual or gender minority have the right, like all other students, to feel respected, wanted and safe at school. If you have any information about someone you know who is being discriminated against or harassed, please give us a heads up HERE
Put yourself in someone else’s shoes and imagine how you might feel if people said things to make you feel discriminated against, unwanted or not safe. Remember, Ohana means family.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ibVlVzGI9y0
Lets change the way we treat each other to make every single person feel welcome.
More Resources:
http://outinschools.com/resources/youth-resources/