Covering up our sexuality
For so many of us (and by us I mean gay people), when we were growing up we thought it was better to hide our sexuality rather than live it. And as adults, we strive each day to undo the damage that was done. We go to therapy, deal with emotional problems, suffer from a lack of confidence – you name it, the issues are endless. Some are worse off than others. They stay stuck in the closet for most of their lives, too afraid of what the consequences might be rather than inspired by what the rewards truly are.
I truly believe that had there been a more comfortable, encouraging atmosphere for us to come out in our adolescence, we wouldn’t be dealing with some of the issues that plague us as adults.
How do I know? Well, over the years, the stats have been calculated. The numbers have been crunched. The results are in. And it’s been proven that it’s healthier for GLBT youth not to hide their sexuality. When they hide it, or hide from it rather, the results are numbing.
GLBT teen suicide is still an ongoing issue in this country, though it isn’t reported on as much as say, when a well-to-do white female goes missing in Aruba. It’s out there. And it needs to be addressed.
How can we help? Simple. Make it comfortable for a teenager to be who they are, gay or straight. Let it be okay. Let them be proud of who they are. Let them voice it in any way possible (with in reason). For instance, don’t make them cover up a T-shirt.
School Apologizes To Lesbian Student Over Censored T-Shirt
by The Associated Press(Richmond, Virginia) A high school official made a mistake by telling a student to cover up a lesbian-themed T-shirt or face suspension the school’s principal now says.
The admission came Friday; a day after the ACLU demanded the school apologize to the teen.Bethany Laccone, 17, said she was asked to cloak a logo of two interlocked female symbols while attending a hotel management class this month at I.C. Norcom High School in Portsmouth. She’s a senior at nearby Woodrow Wilson High School, where she has not faced a similar ultimatum.
In a letter sent Thursday, the American Civil Liberties Union of Virginia asked Norcom administrators to remove any mention of the incident from Laccone’s records and agree not to similarly censor other students.
ACLU leaders want administrators to clarify that students can express political views. The school’s dress code prohibits “bawdy, salacious or sexually suggestive messages.”
The ACLU gave the school until Jan. 11 to respond or possibly face further action.
“What’s happening to Bethany Laccone is a clear-cut case of unconstitutional censorship,” said Kent Willis, executive director of the Virginia chapter.
On Friday, Norcom Principal Lynn Briley said the school would comply.
“Yes, we did make a mistake,” Briley told The Virginian-Pilot newspaper of Norfolk. READ MORE
Now, the ACLU can often go overboard. In fact, they practically tip the boat on many of their supposed “causes.” But I have to agree with them on this one. If a straight student wore a shirt of a boy and a girl holding hands, would they be asked to “cover up?” I doubt it. Many people argue that you don’t see straight kids professing their sexuality or wearing T-shirts of straight symbols. Here’s my answer: they don’t have to. We live in a society where straight is the “norm.” Straight is given. Straight is everywhere.
The other day, I can’t remember exactly when it was; I was channel surfing and came across Bill O’Reilly (Let me get to my point before you roll your eyes because I promise when I’m finished you’ll have to pick your eyes up off the floor for rolling them too far). He was showing a yearbook photo of two girls hugging one another. They were chosen by their peers as “cutest couple” for the senior class yearbook awards. Why this aggravated Bill to the point of having to talk about it on the “no spin” zone, I’ll never know. (Aren’t there far more serious issues to discuss … like the war, the national deficit, the 2008 presidential election, lesbian gangs, for instance?)
His basic premises was this: the two girls should keep their sexuality to themselves. It doesn’t need to be displayed in a school yearbook for all to see.
Um. What?!
Okay. First, the two girls were chosen as “cutest couple” by their peers, Bill. Which means, the students don’t care about their sexuality. So why should you? If a straight couple had been chosen as “cutest couple” we wouldn’t even be having this conversation then, would we? It would have been appropriate for a boy and girl to be pictured together. Or would you have told them to keep their sexuality to themselves.? I highly doubt it.
I applaud the students of that high school, who took it upon themselves to say, “sexuality doesn’t matter to us, it’s a non-issue.”
It needs to be a non-issue. It needs to be talked about less on the Bill O’Reilly show.
I wonder if Bill has even looked at any of the statistics involving GLBT teen suicide. He claims to “care” about the welfare of children, doesn’t he? Maybe if he knew that hiding one’s sexuality was more damaging to kids than a high school yearbook photo, he might change his tune. But until then, he’ll keep singing the same old song.
As for the rest of us, we already know better. We know that covering up our sexuality causes more damage than good. We know because we have lived it. And that’s all the reason we need.
bill o’reilly, aclu, bethany laccone, glbt teen suicide
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