Ally Week in Middle School

9/29/2016

This week, Middle School Gathering highlighted Lowell’s participation in Ally Week, which brings awareness to issues faced by members of the LGBTQ community and is sponsored by GLSEN (Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network). Gathering was led by a coalition of students who have been working since last year to ensure that the Middle School is a safe place for all students. The program included a trailer for the 2009 film Straightlaced: How Gender’s Got Us All Tied Up, a Q&A session, and a guest speaker, 4^thGrade Associate Teacher J Bernick, who shared experiences about navigating questions of gender identity.

Students walked away from the presentations with tools for becoming a better ally, including tips on how to intervene when they hear phobic language or when someone is being bullied and how to correct others if they misidentify someone’s gender. By all accounts, this student-led initiative to learn more about LGBTQ issues and to ensure our Middle School is an inclusive community was a positive step forward, and the coalition of student leaders has plans for building on their success!

Visit GLSEN offers many ways for you to become a better ally for others. Genderspectrum.org and welcomingschools.org are two great additional resources to learn more about this topic.

A GLSEN 2013 National School Climate Survey reveals:

74 % of LGBT teens reported having been verbally harassed at school because of their sexual orientation.
55% of students report being verbally harassed because of their gender expression.
36 % of students had been physically harassed at school in the past year because of their sexual orientation.
23% of students reported having been physically harassed at school because of their gender expression.
59% of LGBT students who experienced higher levels of victimization said they missed a whole day of school in the past month, compared to only 18% of students who experienced lower levels.

School News

Ally Week in Middle School