A boy and a girl hold hands as they walk down the hall. The girl smiles at the boy as she admires the heart-shaped box of chocolates that he gave to her. This is the classic cliché of a perfect Valentine’s Day that has been seen in the American media since the dawn of time. We live in a hetero-normative society in which the American dream has always been a heterosexual family living in a house with a white-picket fence. Will it always stay this way?

A Changing World

It isn’t the 1950s anymore and the world is changing. Seventeen states and the nation’s capital have already legalized same-sex marriage. However, there are 33 states, including Missouri, that ban same-sex marriage. While our current president might be in favor of marriage equality, it is obvious that 33 is a greater number than 17. One might consider whether the homophobic opinion of the majority of the country reflects U. City. Students and teachers alike agree that LGBTQA (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer or questioning, asexual) people don’t deserve the slander and harassment they receive.

There is no denying anti-gay comments occur at school. They’re all over– in the hallways, classrooms and cafeteria.

“We do have a problem with homophobia at U. City,” said sophomore and Gay Straight Alliance (GSA) member Korinna Brandt. “You can see homophobia in the hallways when people call each other ‘gay’ as if it is a bad thing. On a daily basis I hear gay slurs. I’m so used to it that I just tune it out; that is sad and almost scary.”

Junior El Shaddi Ackles also believes that U. City has a presence of hostility towards same-sex couples.

“I definitely think that it is due to ignorance of some students. I hear homophobic comments every few minutes– it’s so often that I barely even notice it,” Ackles said. “Everyone should be accepted by everyone, that’s the bottom line.”

One adult who supports the right to love whomever one chooses is English teacher Ms. Halter.
“I don’t think that there is that homophobia at U. City; just that people use words that can hurt others, but without the intent to put down homosexuality,” said Halter. “There needs to be more awareness of the way people use certain language. It’s been a couple of months since I’ve heard someone in class use such language with the intent to demean someone. I think it happens more often in the hallway and I hear that almost on a daily basis.”

Slow Progress

Psychologists and health professionals believe that homophobia comes from the sexist idea that femininity is inferior to masculinity. This idea, along with the stereotype that society paints that all homosexual men are effeminate, is why homophobia is more common in males who think femininity is a bad thing.

“I feel like it’s more so the guys that make gay jokes and they get really offended when people say that they do ‘gay’ things,” said senior Marina Claunch. “I feel like I hear comments like that every day.”

While homophobia is recognizable at U. City, it is certainly not the most anti-gay place on earth. It isn’t like there are anti-gay graffiti or physical attacks done out of hatred.

Out and proud student Kara Richardson, a sophomore, said U. City students are accepting.

“As far as the attitude towards LGBTQA students goes, U. City is a bit progressive. When I lived in a small country town I was afraid to come out of the closet, but I feel safe here,” said Richardson.
“It’s been two weeks since I’ve heard a homophobic put-down made, even though it wasn’t in a malicious way. However, I feel like that is worse because it means that people are okay with using gay with a negative connotation. Personally, I don’t care if you agree or disagree, but don’t limit someone’s rights because their [sexual] orientation doesn’t matter; we’re all the same.”

While the GSA club made a comeback last December, it hasn’t had a presence since the end of the 2013 school year. Claunch feels the club isn’t enough to stop the educate other students.

“The administration could give punishment to those who are bullying gay students,” Claunch said. “Serious punishments, not just in-school suspension or detention. We should also have faculty be more on the lookout for bullying classrooms, hallways, and the cafeteria. Gay people should be accepted because they’re just like everyone else; everybody’s ‘normal.’”

However, teachers and staff like Ms. Halter feel like they do all they are able to stop the harassment of gay students.

“I think everyone is doing all they can with teachers correcting students on inappropriate language and educating them on how words can be hurtful,” said Halter. “We are doing the best we can. However, it’s 2014, and by now people should know that they can’t use language like that so carelessly. I believe that everyone should be accepted regardless of beliefs or lifestyle and it’s saddening that people are afraid to come out to family and friends. Everyone should be accepted; we’re all different.”

Some might even say that the gay rights movement can be seen as a parallel to the civil rights movement of the 1960s.

Ms. Halter’s syllabi contain a large number of books that focus on the civil rights movement.
“I think that both movements are all about people striving for equal rights,” said Halter. “A person’s skin color, religion, or sexual orientation doesn’t matter. An equal right is a human right,” Halter said. “As far as basic human rights, there should be marriage equality. I think that people protesting gay marriage will look like the people protesting African American rights back in the civil rights era. Forty years from now, we will look at those people and say, ‘How could someone think that way?’”

One of Halter’s students who shares her opinion is Richardson.

“It will definitely be remembered as being similar to the Civil Rights movement,” Richardson said. “Even though homophobia isn’t talked about much, it is a problem that will be realized in the future.”

While the civil rights movement is over, there is no way of hiding the racism that exists towards African Americans today; just look at the controversy of the Cheerios commercial with a biracial family. Similar discrimination could continue for LGBTQA people after same-sex marriage and rights are legal nationwide.

“The gay rights movement will be remembered, but not as intensely as the civil rights movement, because African Americans are still fighting against racism, and decades from now there will probably still be homophobia, but not as bad as it is in this day and age,” said Brandt.

If President Obama, who we the people elected for two terms, says loudly and proudly that he supports same-sex marriage, then why are we still in a country where it isn’t accepted by everyone? At the end of the day, a gay person is still a human being who simply wants his or her lifestyle accepted by all.