Life is hard.
It is something I hear a lot, often from coworkers, friends, and my wife.
Most often when they say it they are being facetious.
Well maybe not in my wife’s case as I am sure I am not the easiest person to live with, but with that being said the majority of time it is something people say, but not necessarily mean it.
However, the truth is life is hard. And that is for people like me — white, middle aged, heterosexual above the poverty line majority.
Just imagine what it would be like for a young person who is still trying to find their place in life, and is part of a gender or sexual identity minority.
That is why I am an ardent supporter of Bill 10, which ensures students’ rights to create a gay-straight-alliance (GSA) in a school and I was so pleased to hear about the existence of one in our own high school.
If being part of a club, with other like-minded students that are guided by caring and educated staff in an effort to foster acceptance and inclusion of everyone — then it should be encouraged.
And actually I am a little surprised that it has taken so long to get traction.
When I was in high school in Red Deer in the late 1980’s, we had a similar group, except that it was called Students and Teachers Opposing Prejudice (STOP).
The group was the brainchild of Darren Lund, a first year teacher, who created the group as a way to counter the hatred spewed out by Jim Keegstra, a former teacher in nearby Eckville, who taught his students that the holocaust was a hoax. Red Deer and area high school students were also the target of hate propaganda from Terry Long’s Aryan Nations camp.
Little did I know at the time how much courage Mr. Lund must have had to stick to his guns and fight for the student club. Not from school administration, but against members of the public. Lund received countless letters, phone calls and even threats. Yet he continued and our STOP group gave birth to a number of similar school groups across the province, including what we now call GSAs.
In this issue, the Barrhead Leader talks to two of the group’s staff sponsors about their activities, most notably a student survey to help aid administration decide whether a gender-neutral bathroom and change room are necessary.
In the coming weeks I also hope to talk to the students, not only about their activities, but why they believe it is necessary. In the meanwhile, I just want to give them my kudos for being there and for their message of acceptance.
