| About a year ago, I called a friend to wish him happy birthday. It hadn�t been a great day to turn 16 he said. He missed the school bus, fell asleep in French, and his mother burned the birthday cake. �But it wasn�t such a bad day,� he added. �At least I didn�t get beat up.� Today? I thought in amazement. You didn�t get beat up today? I realized then how lucky I am to be able to walk into the dining hall, classrooms, and school dances with out fear. My own struggles seem immense at times, but, surrounded by friends and family, I know I�m one of the lucky ones. All of us here today have lost our right to be children. We�ve been failed by our teachers, by all the school authorities who should fight to end the harassment, by our peers and sometimes even by our families. In the several years that I�ve been out as a lesbian and working as an activist, I�ve been shocked and appalled, usually angry and often overcome by the wholesale neglect of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and differently-gendered students. I try to hold to the idea that our society protects and cherishes its children. But I�ve collected stories of too many small defeats and tremendous tragedies that suggest otherwise. Gay, lesbian and bisexual youth hear language that degrades their self-hood everyday, not only in deliberate insults but in casual speech, like the use of �gay� to describe anything negative. They internalize such insults and start to think that they are not worthy of getting an education, or of living freely and happily. The results of harassment are harrowing, leading to lasting emotional consequences and high drop-out and suicide rates. But we are here today to take matters into our own hands, to say that we want to live without fear and be respected as full human beings. Please join us to ensure that our schools are loving and accepting places to grow and learn. |
| This is my statement from the Safe Schools and Sexual Orientation/Gender Identity Awarness Day press conference. This page is dedicated to the memory of Fred Martinez, Jr. |