What is it like going to an inclusive school? It’s great! Everyone feels welcome and accepted. I know many people who are part of the LGBTQ+ community and they feel safe to be who they are. The teachers are incredibly supportive, friendly and they don’t judge anyone no matter what.
Personally, I am straight but I have many friends who are part of the LGBTQ+ community and I love them just as equally as my other friends as I don’t care about who they’re attracted to because it doesn’t change their personality or who they are.
This past year has been tough for everyone with COVID-19 and the multiple lockdowns, and I think we can agree that everybody’s mental health has gone down the drain. One of the main reasons of mine is due to the lack of being able to see my family as we went from seeing each other every month to only seeing each other over Zoom. Another reason is due to the worry of catching and spreading COVID to my loved ones.
Everyone I’ve talked to have been incredibly supportive of the LGBTQ+ community, but unfortunately with positive people come homophobic, biphobic and transphobic people. Luckily, my friends and I haven’t heard any comments or slurs, but sadly it is a common thing in other schools and on the streets and everywhere you go.
It’s disappointing what the world has come to – people should be able to love who they want to and should be able to be who they are without getting judged by others. We are all humans.
I think that all schools should have a School Diversity Week to show the students who are part of the LGBTQ+ community that they are just as special, amazing and equal as everyone else at the school. It would also show them that it’s okay to be themselves and that they are just as loved as everyone else at the school.
School Diversity Week would help introduce the different genders and sexual orientations to students at the schools. It would help students to understand their peers who are part of the community and it might help them to find out who they are too.
My school has helped me and other students with their wellbeing by raising awareness on mental health issues and bullying. They spread awareness by putting posters up around the school, mentioning it during assemblies and have positive activities and activities to do with wellbeing during activity week.
These really help to spread awareness as they show people that they should think before they say anything, not to bully anyone, to check up on your friends and it makes people aware of issues that affect people around them.
My message to teachers who haven’t ever shown support to the LGBTQ+ community is: show your students some support, it costs nothing and it shows them that it’s okay to be themselves and just because they have different interests in people or a different sexuality than another person, it doesn’t make them any less normal or human.
This would really help an LGBTQ+ student as it would help them to feel loved for who they are.
Just Like Us runs secondary school talks and a student-led Pride Groups programme across the UK to help make your school more LGBT+ inclusive – book a school talk now at justlikeus.org/schools.
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