In the Spotlight—Queer Voices

Each year, as part of our Senior English study of The Laramie Project, Country Day hosts Queer Voices, a panel of people who identify as LGBTQ+ and who wish to share their personal perspectives with our community. This year, a combined panel of Country Day students and staffulty members volunteered to share their perspectives with the Advanced Topics in English Literature classes and the Country Day community last week. It was a full library for this event, and Mr. Hinojosa shared, “Our colleagues and students demonstrated tremendous courage and generosity, in my view. I was also glad to see that so many people outside of my classes were able to attend the event, to show support, and to listen.”

The backdrop of the event was a fantastic slide presentation entitled Joy in the Queer Experience, a collaborative assignment given to AT English classes at the beginning of their study of The Laramie Project. The goal of this slide show project was to collect the moments in our culture that counterbalance the pain and tragedy explored in the play The Laramie Project, with the moments across history, government, pop culture, music, and daily life in our communities that exemplify joy in the queer experience. 

In support of our students, on campus we also have added affinity groups to create a space where participants can share identity and experiences. These group meetings can help students to feel more visible and more included in our community and in doing so they enhance our commitment to inclusiveness. 

Some thoughts from our panel:

What’s it like to be gay at Country Day? 

“A community that is welcoming - a place that is transitioning and progressing. There are ally voices that speak even before I speak, and advocate on behalf of the community.”

What about being queer outside the school campus? 

“There is a straightforward path to community in a lot of cases, so ‘you’re different like me’ feels exciting and important.” 

“It can be scary sometimes- there are a lot of hateful ideas out there and at home it’s complicated and not 100% accepted, so I can be my complete self here.” 

How can people be an ally? 

“You have to be ok with not knowing what is right all the time, but you have to be willing to learn. Know what you don’t know.”