Tartan High School Students Give Peers Silent Support

Social acceptance is paramount for many high school students, though for teens who identify themselves as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender, it can be especially hard to come by.

Gay-Straight Alliance advocates for the acceptance of these teens, both at the high school and within the Oakdale community.

Some members of the organization, including 18-year-old senior Karlee Schert, said they have witnessed bullying and mistreatment of LGBT teens at school and at home.

"It irks me when I see people getting bullied," Schert said. She remembers a student who used to attend Tartan that was having problems with bullying.

"She got to teachers and talked about it," she said. "One my friends who is trans, he talked to his parents about it and they're like, 'no, you're a girl and if you're not going to be like that, we're kicking you out' and he actually got kicked out of his home."

To raise awareness of bullying and harassment against LGBT teens, the Gay-Straight Alliance hosted a Day of Silence at Tartan on April 15. Day of Silence is a national movement to bring attention to LGBT teens and their allies who are silenced by bullying.

Gay-Straight Alliance members who participated in the Day of Silence did not speak the entire school day unless it was for a class that required talking, such as English or a foreign language.

"By doing this, I feel it helps bring awareness to it, the fact that there are people who don't talk about it because they may get kicked out of their house," Schert said.

Joshua Selbitschka, 16, remembers in middle school when someone whispered "faggot" in his ear.

"I don't know who the heck the kid was and I had no idea what the word meant," Selbitschka said. "When I get home I usually ask to use the computer, and the first thing I did was look up the word. When I got it figured out, I was pretty pissed off and my parents, when they found out, were pissed off as well."

Renee Mesich, 18, said that while she is not LGBT, she understands some of the difficulties faced by those who are.

"I completely support everybody's choices," Mesich said.

Mesich said not talking the whole day was somewhat challenging, but when she thought about what it was for, it was worth it.

Members of the Gay-Straight Alliance said they would like to see Day of Silence grow at Tartan High School, and Schert said at the end of last year's Day of Silence, the club had a ceremony for those who participated.

Sarah Miller, Tartan High School teaching assistant and adviser said LGBT teens are perceived to be an easy target for school bullying.

"I think that a lot of the people who come to the meetings don't like that and want to stand up against it," Miller said.

She said the school climate isn't the biggest problem.

"I think some of the people wish they could come out, but their parents aren't OK with it, or think 'what if my parents found out,'" Miller said.

The purpose of the Gay-Straight Alliance meetings is to provide a safe place for students to come together and participate in acceptance and awareness activities as well as socialize and support each other.

The club meets every Wednesday after school in room 207.