2022 WSW Sex & Sexuality Calendar

El
23 | Queer
It is 2022 and Florida is attempting to pass a law called the
Parental Rights in Education Bill. In part, it will prohibit schools
from talking about any LGBT related topics from Kindergarten to
grade 3 and will limit conversations around this topic to what will
be considered “age appropriate” by both parents and the school.
If parents feel that conversations being had are not age appropriate,
they can sue. I knew I liked girls from the time I was 7 years oldthank
“Crazy in Love” by Beyonce- but I did not know it was a bad
thing until I told a classmate I had a crush on her. I was bullied
into a new school. I only told one of my teachers and she refused
to touch the issue; she just told me to be strong and ignore the
bullies. I suffered in silence, I learned to hide my queerness for the
first time in a series of painful moments of being invisible. What
a disservice my teacher did to me and my classmates by not
talking about liking who you like and being who you feel was not
only normal but also a natural, important part of human diversity.
Talking about being LGBT in a way that is appropriate but doesn't
demonize or alienate anyone or their families while also advocating
for children to be kind to those they may see as different is
imperative. Imagine how other queer kids around the country
would feel hearing their teachers publicly, unabashedly support
them no matter how old they are.
The first time I was told my queerness was okay was freshman
year of high school, by an incredibly awesome English teacher
who was also the advisor for the Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA), a
student group for LGBT and allied students. I learned so much
more about myself, sexual health, and healing in four years of
that club than I did in over 10 years of public school formalized
education. We as a country need to do better in teaching our
students about human diversity and sexual health in a comprehensive
way that is inclusive of various sexual orientations and gender
identities. We are here, We are queer and We will never disappear.