Do you feel comfortable or accepted in the LS community?

COMPLETE QUESTION: Do you feel comfortable or accepted in the LS community? Do u think there is some changes that need to occur? What do u think would help contribute to that goal?

Comfort is very subjective, so I can not speak on behalf of all LGBTQ+ students, and there is variation within LS’s LGBTQ+ student body. I have experienced moments of extreme discomfort and isolation as well as beautiful moments of community and inclusion. My positive experiences have almost exclusively occurred in LGBTQ+ centralized spaces such as within the GSA or among LGBTQ+ peers. My negative experiences happen everywhere and I’ve noticed some hypocrisy. Some people who claim to be LGBTQ+ allies (and I should clarify, non-LGBTQ+ allies are also guilty of this) may make anti-LGBTQ+ remarks or use slurs they aren’t in a position to reclaim either because they don’t think there are LGBTQ+ people around, because they don’t personally like the LGBTQ+ person they’re talking about, or for whatever other inexcusable reason. Anti-LGBTQ+ behavior is rampant at LS and I think that the first step to change is to make the curriculum (all classes, but particularly wellness, American history, and biology) truly LGBTQ+-inclusive. Education and representation is everything. Empty words are not, and have never been, enough. The school must take tangible action to make LS a safer place for its LGBTQ+ population.