North Gay-Straight
Alliance not mum
on its support
By Belia Ortega,
sheboygan-press.com from the Web, April 30, 2006
Sheboygan, WI -- It was a day
to recognize how hurtful words can be.
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More than
60 Sheboygan North High School students join in a circle Wednesday
as they break their silence after taking part in a National Day of
Silence. |
Students in the Gay-Straight Alliance
organization at North High School participated in the Day of Silence national
project Wednesday to "peacefully bring attention to the pervasive problem of
anti-lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender bullying and harassment in schools."
The North Gay-Straight Alliance is comprised of gay and straight students who
want to build bridges among students of all sexual orientations and gender
identities.
"It was an emotional day," said Barb Kleine, the teacher who supervises the
group. "Hopefully they (students) will have an awareness that the language
that they use does have an effect on people."
More than 60 students participated in the day to stand up for themselves or in
support of friends and classmates. Many of the students wore black
T-shirts that promoted the Day of Silence on the front and listed examples of
derogatory phrases in bright green on the back. The project was part of a
national effort started in 1996 by students at the University of Virginia and
recognized by the New York-based Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network
organization.
At the end of the day, the students met at the flagpole in front of the school
and held hands in a large circle as Kleine spoke to them.
"We must learn to understand one another," she said. "All human beings
deserve respect and dignity."
Students said they were met with challenges throughout the day because they were
not able to verbally express themselves to teachers or students.
Some students approached the situation with a bit of hesitation because they
didn't understand the situation; others were very supportive.
"It was really frustrating because a lot of the people didn't understand," said
Becca Trudeau, 15, a sophomore. "They were really rude to me and they'd
make comments because they knew I couldn't talk."
Senior Jonathan Ingram, 18, who participated in the day in support of his
friends, said, "It was a lot of pressure hearing everyone around you criticizing
you. It helps you to realize you how much discrimination there is, not
only just in the school, but in the whole community."
Mykal Beeck, 17, a junior, said the group was not started to promote sex, as
some people believe.
"We were (one of ) the only schools that didn't have one," Beeck said. "It
was to see if we could bring the anti-LGBT (lesbian, gay, bi-sexual and
transgender) slang to a minimum.
In the past, Beeck was harassed often, but since the group organized at the
beginning of the school year, lots of students have become more respectful and
aware of the language they use.
Kayla Nonnweiler, 16, a junior, said the group gives people who aren't normally
accepted in school a place to feel appreciated. She said some of the
people who joined the group had lost friends after they "came out."
"People feel that they don't relate to a person anymore," she said.
"People look at a person as if they're different."
Reach Belia Ortega at
bortega@sheboygan-press.com and
453-5169.
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