Faculty attends LGBTQ+ Equity meeting
Posted March 8, 2023
Staff Reporter
When it comes to DDHS students, everyone has their own differences, and some differences seem to make students stand out more, so DDHS has made their fair treatment a priority, including the LGBTQ+ community.
The Jan. 11 and 18 LGBTQ+ meeting attempted to teach staff members about sexual orientation, gender identity, and general LGBTQ+ issues. Now, students are probably wondering why this meeting even had to be taken place to begin with. Well, it had been brought to ELA teacher Hilary Reed's attention that equity training about this student population was needed for the faculty.
“The goal is to help faculty get better when supporting LGBTQ+ students and meet up to their needs,” said Guidance Counselor Sabrina Sommer.
Sommer is a member of the Equity Team, which helps bring more awareness to staff across the district.
"I feel students aren't fully being supported at this school,” said Sommer. “It's been an uphill battle for the school to make changes.”
According to the Equity Team, a 2019 study conducted by the University of Pittsburgh showed that of 1,148 who identify as somewhere under the transgender umbrella, 85% have, “seriously considered or attempted suicide" due to non-accepting families and drug and/or alcohol abuse. In addition, 51% of LGBTQ+ students at schools have said that they've been verbally harassed, which is twice the average of non-LGBTQ+ students. Also, 74% of students say they hear negative messages about their identity at school.
So, how does David Douglas High School help these students?
Gender Studies will be a new class available to seniors beginning next year. It can be taken for English 4 credit or as an elective credit course.
“I think it’s essential to offer that class for students, just like it's important to offer Black Studies,” said Reed. “They deserve to see themselves represented, valued and respected.”
Reed has been advocating for the LGBTQ+ community all her adult life, as she is a member of the community herself. Her goal is to help other members of the community, whether faculty or student, feel accepted and welcome at school in life in general.
To feel accepted at school, students can choose their preferred name, gender, and pronoun in Synergy. Not every LGBTQ+ student will take advantage of that, with the risk of being outed to their families, but the school offers that option.
“I've dealt with non-accepting families, especially of transgender students,” said Reed. “So, I have tried my best to talk with my students and help them so that they feel safe and feel like they have a place to go and someone to talk to. It's always good to seek out your people. The administration had to mandate the equity meeting. Some people had to be ‘forced’ to make these changes, per say.”
The Pride Club is another way that David Douglas has attempted to be more supportive of LGBTQ+ students and staff. It is an after school club that meets from 3-4 p.m. in a safe place to hang out, socialize, and plan fun events and activities, all in an effort to help build a better community for students under the LGBTQ+ spectrum.