With a group of over 1,500 kids, playing Stand Up, Sit Down wouldn’t be expected to be an effective game. We were all told to be silent, and not comment on anything we saw or heard. General statements were made such as, “Stand up if you are a freshmen.” The more we got into the activity, the more serious the statements became. Not realizing how open or safe people felt in this environment, I did not expect anyone to stand up when a member of the faculty said,” Stand up if you consider yourself trans-sexual.” Shocked, I looked up to see that about six people were standing up and admitting something that they know most of society does not accept. The body language of one of the faculty, who identified herself as a trans-sexual, seemed proud. The students, on the other hand, seemed as though they were annoyed and felt as though they were being judged. Looking back, I realize the strength of what it must of taken to admit that. They were all my age, and being different as a teenager isn’t something that is usually celebrated. I respect and admire the guts it must have taken to make themselves vulnerable in front of people who they don’t know. Before today, I never considered what it meant or felt to be an outcast until today. One of the leaders of SDLC said, “ I can stand in a room and still be invisible.” I have yet to feel this way, but now I think of how people feel. I wonder if anyone at Nobles feels this way. In our community we strive to make people feel included, but I speculate if anyone feels this way. As a community, it is our job to open our self to diversity. We talk about diversity in terms of ethnic backgrounds, but it might be time to talk about sexual orientations.
In a room of over 1,500 students, you are forced to squash stereotypes and look at the individual because it’s a # Melting Pot!
~Abbeygale A., Class III
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