Michael Curry
Southeast Polk High School

"At Southeast Polk I’ve had my fair share of homophobic remarks directed at me. Just recently, a fellow student at Southeast Polk obtained my daily school planner and maliciously carved the word “FAG” on the cover of it. As if that wasn’t enough, he took the time to write the tree letter word again on the inside pages of my planner. Another incident included a female student shouting down the hall, “stupid gay boy in my damn way!” as she aggressively brushed past me.

Students like me should be able to go to school without having to worry about violence and verbal harassment. But many students like me endure daily insults and damage to our personal property. Most students are bullied into silence. But silence surrounding this issue must be broken. Our friends must stand up for us and our teachers must protect us.

A great resource for me has been the Iowa Pride Network’s Central Iowa Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA) Coalition. It’s been here that I have gotten great ideas on how to improve my school’s climate and make it safe for everyone. By networking with other students I feel I am more connect and have more of a say in how I am treated because I know what resources are out there for me."