The loss of one young life is a cost too high. At least, you’d hope that it wouldn’t take much more to convince people of the urgent need for action to end bias and bullying directed at lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) young people in our schools. But, over the past few months, I have continued to make that case, repeatedly, to decision makers whose attention was newly captured by the relentless drumbeat of tragedy in the news.
It’s utterly senseless to me that bullying and harassment of students continues, and that LGBT students remain central targets. But honestly, I don’t expect it to stop any time soon unless we all get serious about investing in cultures of true respect in our schools. Our culture is growing more diverse, not less. Diversity is just a fancy word for “difference,” and difference often kicks up fear. The violence that comes from fear is a clear result of our failure to help young people learn a different way and, sadly, to model better behavior ourselves. Regardless of who perpetrates it, however, violence is not an acceptable response.
In the words of Saad D., GLSEN’s Student Ambassador from Texas: “Instead of being oppressed by our differences, we should embrace them.”
