Kids need to be more educated in LGBTQ+

To the Editor,

Imagine this: You fight hard for your rights. You are arrested several times, and beaten because of peaceful protests, just to be forgotten about. You learned about black lives matter activists. You learned about women’s rights activists. Everyone’s stories need to be told, including lgbtq+ activists. Children NEED to be educated more on lgbtq+, at school, AND at home. 

One reason is that kids should always know and feel they belong. This is so important for children’s mental health growing up.  There was probably a time in your life when you didn’t know what LGBTQ+ is.  Kids NEED to grow up with a positive mindset towards the LGBTQ community. If they grow up learning that being LGBTQ is “wrong” then if they see someone talking online about LGBTQ, they could attack them through comments or direct messaging. Nobody should do anything of that sort! Or, if they see a gay or lesbian couple in public, they may approach them and tell them not to hold hands. Kids need to be more educated in LGBTQ.

Another reason that kids need to be more educated on LGBTQ+ is because otherwise, kids will bully. High school student Roddy Biggs was exposed to bullying including death threats and physical violence after coming out as gay: “I didn’t really do the best in school because of it, I had depression and panic attacks and all that stuff along the way.” Researcher Emelina Minero surveyed 2,500 teachers, which showed that educators were more comfortable intervening with bullying having to do with race and ability, than sexuality and gender identity. Parents and teachers, please don’t let this happen any longer. 

If you had kids and they came out as LGBTQ, what would you do? You would help them, and you would support them! If schools don’t talk about LGBTQ, then parents have to. Kids have to know that being LGBTQ is okay, and parents have to know how to help their kids. Kids rely on parents. Parents show kids books and movies. The only problem is, that in those books, the people are boys and girls, the people are straight. Parents need to introduce their kids to more diverse characters. If schools and parents don’t talk about LGBTQ, then kids will not have the proper education, and spend their whole lives feeling like they don’t belong.  

Parents, guardians, and teachers, you change lives every day, and we hope for the better. Lesbian. Gay. Bisexual. Transgender. Queer. Kids can’t grow up fearing who they are. Make sure you always support kids no matter who they love or who they want to be. You are the difference that can change lives. “No one should ever be afraid to walk down the street holding the hand of the person they love.” - Barack Obama

Asha Miller, Joya Nath, Mae Valcich, Lily Grueser
Fifth-grade students at Swarthmore-Rutledge School