June is fast approaching, and with it comes Pride month. Pride may at first bring to mind flamboyance, big parades, corporate logo redesigns, and flashy, colorful clothing all decorated with rainbows and flags. In reality, though, pride and queerness can be much more down-to-earth, and can be found almost anywhere, including in the school environment.
One such example is sophomore Leah Sizer. “At the moment, I identify as aromantic and asexual,” says Sizer. “I’ve spoken to a lot of individuals who share my identity.”
Sizer, as she herself said, is one among many in the LGBTQIA+ community who have found other members. This makes sense, as more than 17% of teens in Fairfax County identify as LGBT, according to the Fairfax County Youth Survey.
With the number of teens that identify, it becomes both important and easy to develop a sense of community, especially with the support of those around them.
“I have many LGBT friends and have known many teachers that are supportive of LGBT,” says one sophomore who asked to remain anonymous. “I’ve bonded with my friends through shared experiences of being LGBT.”
Students aren’t alone in sharing their acceptance: As Sizer puts it, “Teachers always go out of their way to make sure people know they are accepting,” having flags in pencil cups or hanging up posters all around their rooms with affirmations and validation. All throughout the hallways, too, there are many posters with rainbow colors and affirming quotes, like “You are loved” and “Everyone belongs here.”
The public growth of acceptance in school communities has had a genuine positive effect on those in the LGBT community, making a more comfortable, welcoming environment for students.
“I always find small bits of joy when I see flags in cupholders in my teacher’s classrooms and signs in the library,” sophomore Klara Portillo says.
For those that are a part of the community, this can help with motivation and comfort in the school environment, which can in turn lead to improved performance and improved moods.
Additionally, it even helps people beyond those already out. Those who weren’t sure of their identity before have been able to come to understand themselves, like with another sophomore who asked to be unnamed: “In fact, it’s my friends who helped me realize that I’m aromantic and asexual.”
Some people may then wonder why they don’t see too many LGBT people around, and it’s simple. They just aren’t noticing them.
“I don’t visibly show pride. Once I realized that I was asexual, it just became a characteristic of mine, not affecting anything else in my life,” said the second anonymous sophomore.
This makes sense: after all, LGBT students are just like any other. Being a part of the community doesn’t mean constant extravagance, it can just mean finding people with whom you can share a similar experience and relate to, like any shared interest can do. “We’ve gossipped a lot about crushes like any other teenager, which lets us connect. For a lot of the people I talk to, our identity is more a background thing, so we connect like any other teenage friend group,” Sizer said.
That’s not to say that no one shows pride, though. As acceptance becomes more common in the school environment, LGBT students of all kinds are becoming more and more willing to share their identity to the world in various ways. Just look hard enough in the hallways, and it’s easy to find pins on backpacks or flag charms hanging off of phones. With Pride month almost here, these accessories may become even more common. After all, pride and queerness are all around and here to stay, even if you can’t see it.
