I sincerely appreciate and commend the Fayette County Board of Education for training the school systems’ nurses concerning LGBT matters, and I encourage similar training for all school system administrative and teaching personnel.
The LGBT community has long been ill-defined and misunderstood and it is only through further knowledge and understanding can we hope to open inclusion into the educational process and into society for these individuals.
LGBT characteristics are not merely sexual orientation, but a natural tendency that includes many other aspects of the being.
I have four children who attended the Fayette County School System, and all four received a good education and generally had a good personal experience. My youngest daughter, Megan, revealed to me at the age of 14 that she is a lesbian. I encouraged her to be open and honest about who she is, and not to hide so that she could reach her full potential. She was not able to do that in her schools at that time.
This was 18 years ago and LGBT individuals in the schools were shunned, teased, picked on, and often bullied. After high school, she moved away and was able to openly be herself in her new surroundings.
Today, at 32 she is a well-rounded, openly gay, contributing member of this community. We have come a long way.
Megan says that in today’s Fayette County schools, she feels that she could be more openly who she is in every way and would not have the stress of hiding certain parts of her being.
Even though to many this seems to be a trendy and frivolous topic, LGBT individuals have always been a part of every society. Until recently these individuals have hidden in the shadows and compromised parts of the essence of who they are in order to function in a society that does not always accept them. It is difficult to reach your full potential when this becomes your main emphasis. In these types of situations, society suffers as well as the individuals.
All students bring who they are to school with them. They bring their intelligence, their talents, their interest and their abilities. All students also bring their baggage, whether that baggage is shyness, ethnic differences, divorce, obesity problem, special needs, privilege and, yes, LGBT issues.
We all have baggage, as do all of our students. The objective for students is to engage in the educational system and to learn and broaden their horizons. This in itself is a difficult task, but when you add elements of feeling unacceptable, not feeling good about yourself, or constant fear of “secrets” being discovered, no matter what those elements are, the education process takes a hit and we are not serving our students well.
Ralph Ferguson
Peachtree City, Ga.
