Students silently support gay peers
To the students speaking out Wednesday against discrimination of the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community at Lewis and Clark High School, it was more about what they didn’t say.
More than 70 students at the Spokane high school signed up to participate in the National Day of Silence by pinning on rainbow-colored ribbons and vowing not to speak.
The exercise was designed to demonstrate how some people are silenced by bigotry and not allowed to be who they are.
“I just think it’s kind of mean that people are, like, mad at the gay people for something they can’t control,” said Tony Macias, 16. “The general mind-set for a lot of people is like, ‘Eww, gay people, yuck.’ And that’s not OK with us.”
The event, organized by the national Gay Lesbian and Straight Education Network, was created in 1996 to focus on intolerance. The LC event was supported by the school’s gay-straight alliance, called Spectrum.
Other schools that participated include Rogers, Ferris and East Valley high schools.
“I think it really goes beyond the gay and lesbian thing. It’s really about being safe at school,” said Bryan Jackson, the teacher and adviser of LC’s Spectrum.
Jackson cited a survey from the Gay Lesbian and Straight Education Network that said 75 percent of students heard derogatory remarks related to sexual orientation frequently or often at school.
“Unfortunately, we do hear homophobic remarks in the hallways,” Jackson said. “I think the students just want to make the statement that yes, it happens here.”
Jackson notified teachers and administrators in advance of the event and asked that they acknowledge those students who wished to remain silent. But students were instructed to speak up in class if the teacher requested it.
“They are not given carte blanche to not participate,” said Dan Close, assistant principal of activities. “We are about education, first and foremost.”
While it was not widely advertised, some organizations outside the school voiced opposition to the event, calling the district and Jackson. It was discussed recently by the congregation at one South Hill church.
“I just don’t think there’s a place in the schools for this, myself,” Spokane resident Harry Teford said.
At Ferris, a group of parents upset over the event arranged a meeting with the principal about the issue, said Charisse Hambleton, whose daughter attends the school.
Hambleton said her daughter was harassed by students in the Ferris gay-straight alliance when she said she didn’t want to observe the silence.
“I don’t like paying tax dollars for anything that has to do with their sexual orientation,” Hambleton said. “I’m not against gay people; I’m a Christian person. I just don’t want my child to feel subjected to these things.”
The participating LC students had a different take.
Students came and went quietly from a table set up in the hallway before classes, pinning on the multicolored ribbon and encouraging others to do so.
“I think the way people discriminate is terrible, and this is our way of showing it,” said Andrew Baker, 16. Baker’s girlfriend, Causha Morehead, 16, also signed up to be silent.
“I feel like we aren’t allowed to express ourselves,” Baker said. “That’s wrong.”