The District Cultural Heritage Committee honors the LGBTQIA+ community throughout the month of April this year. One of the things that the student body can do in order to honor the LGBTQIA+ community is educate themselves and others about the community.

According to ACLU.org, “more than 111 bills aiming to limit discussions about race and gender in the classroom have been passed or introduced in state legislatures,” as of 2022 alone. Why does this matter? Approximately 71% of students report not hearing about ANY LGBTQIA+ related topic in school (even as 82% of LGBTQIA+ students report first-hand harassment or bullying in school.) There is so much culture to be recognized within the community, and there is a long legacy of inspiring stories that continue to be made by leading LGBTQIA+ trailblazers in the fight for better teaching on the topics related to gender and sexuality, but also general rights.

Pride Month is another month notably honoring the LGBTQIA+ community; it also honors the Stonewall riots that happened in June of 1969. The Stonewall riots were a series of protests by members of the LGBTQIA+ community that started as a result of a police raid that happened in Stonewall Inn (a popular gay bar in New York City.) It was a key point in history that showed the resilience of the LGBTQIA+ people of America as they continued to fight for their rights.

The Day of Silence is scheduled for April 14th this year. This is a day globally recognized by students and allies protesting the discrimination of LGBTQ+ people in schools. People stand with the community as they take a vow of silence throughout the entire day. On Friday morning, when the day of silence will be held, ribbons and stickers will be handed out by members of HERO in the north and south cafeteria for any RMHS students / staff interested in showing their support. Students can also choose to protest in order to demonstrate the power of their voices and the impact of their silence as long as it does not impede or interrupt instructional time. 

There are many resources for students to look at inorder to get more educated about the LGBTQIA+ community, but also to reach out for support. Students should feel safe in contacting any of the adults in the building for support, but many resources are open to anyone via the internet. 

(Speaking card for students to display inorder to explain why they are silent ^)

(Could also get a picture of a pride flag?)