Bryan N. Cochran
When people feel like they’ve got support in their school that validate and even just give voice to the idea that people might be different to one another on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity, that’s important and powerful as a protective factor against some of the risks that people face. I think that that needs to come from the highest levels of the schools. A principal or teacher sets the tone on how inclusivity is going to be addressed and whether or not people feel safe in a school system. I really feel that it’s absolutely vital to LGBT youths’ well being to feel like they have a place in the school system and that they’re not marginalized on the basis of who they are.
Stephen T. Russell
If your school environment, which is your main institutional environment, where you spend most of your time, makes ‘totally invisible’ a part of your life, it's going to undermine your connection to that place. And that's why Black History Month matters, that's why having an Allied program matters- it's a good thing for schools to have. It says to everyone that “we’re a school that respects. Identities of African American students matter to me and we need to understand and respect them. We’re a school where LGB students are visible and present and their experiences are just like anyone else's."
Linda rangos
We do have a policy to not discriminate. When I was teaching in health back in the eighties, I would have kids that would make comments about gays and laugh and stuff, and I told them that we had a discrimination policy- and that was back in the eighties, and it was probably even back before then. I’m not judging anyone, but I am telling you that we’re not going to discriminate people of different values. For some religions, they say homosexuality is wrong. Now I’m not here to talk about religion, I’m here to tell you that in Howard County Public Schools, we have a policy that says we do not discriminate against anyone, and that includes people of various sexual orientations, gender identities, etcetera.