From the moment we are born, people assume things about our hopes and dreams about our future. Parents hope their children will have the best lives possible; that they will go through life without a lot of pain. The people around us assume things, such as that we are straight, we are a good person, and we have a will to succeed in life. That is, however, until we tell them differently. One thing teenagers in particular may struggle with is their sexuality and gender identity. Are you gay, straight, bisexual, transgender? What does it all mean and why does it all matter?

Our sexuality is part of who we are, and although it is a small part, it is still a meaningful one. It helps us define who we are.

Many people at WJ help to support us in our journey to find ourselves, and accept us when we find ourselves. While some people in the world are killed for coming out or even for questioning their sexuality, such as Russia, people at WJ continue to support WJ’s LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transsexual) students. If someone makes a mean or rude comment on our sexuality, people who we don’t even know will stand up to support us. It’s a mind-blowing and beautiful thing. But despite the general atmosphere of acceptance at WJ, sometimes people say  little things that they don’t realize are insensitive. Just the little phrase “that’s so gay” can make a conversation awkward because there is no definite way to respond to that statement. Are the LGBT students supposed to call them out on it, or are we supposed to just let it go? Should it be made a big deal of to help the person realize the error of their ways, or are we supposed to agree with the person? The intentional use of the word “gay” as an insult changes how we see some of our friends, and maybe even people we barely know.

Maybe I’m making a bigger deal about this than it actually is, but I recently had an experience where one student used the term “gay” as an insult while I was around him. I have known him for a few years, but we weren’t close friends, so I decided to call him out on it just by saying “dude.” To my surprise, he couldn’t stop apologizing and when I said it was okay, he insisted that it wasn’t. This was a mind-blowing moment for me. Yet here at WJ, people not only accept each other, but also regret it when they mess up. My friend could have decided it wasn’t a big deal and brushed it off, but instead, he decided it wasn’t okay  to say it while I was around and apologized for it. I have no doubt that he and his friends continue to use the word “gay” as an insult, but that little moment made me respect him all the more.

The students of WJ may be able to see things bigger than themselves, but what about the school itself, how accepting is it? Its no longer insensitive to its students opinions and life choices, it is in the process of taking its first few steps to becoming fully sensitive to its LGBT students. Things such as changing the robes and changing the bathrooms to make them gender neutral are some big steps, and will help make WJ LGBT sensitive. Some big events like prom, homecoming and the homecoming court still segregate the students by their gender, making it homecoming queen and king instead of homecoming royalty. I personally would love to see a gay couple run for prom royalty, and they can be the first gay prom couple who wins the crown. I have no doubt that one day, WJ will have a gay royal couple. However, it may take a while, for now I will settle for the little acts of respect my peers show each time they can understand the mistakes they make.