Posted: 10/27/11 12:43 PM ET
Sharon J. Lettman-Hicks
Executive Director and CEO, National Black Justice Coalition (NBJC)
When I first became the executive director of the National Black
Justice Coalition (NBJC), the nation's leading organization advocating
for black lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people, I was often
asked why I had chosen to accept the position. I am a straight woman
who was raised in suburban Florida with a military husband from urban
Detroit, Mich., a family with strong Christian values and an
upbringing that included attending one of America's Historically Black
College and Universities. At first, I was deeply focused on black
churches and far-right activists' anti-gay rhetoric. Then I tried to
engage people and share with them the stories of everyday people who
couldn't find work or suffered from workplace discrimination because
of their gender identity. Even worse were the horror stories of
teenagers being attacked, bullied, and even murdered, because people
suspected they were gay. This journey caused me to question how we, as
a society, have come to define "community."
At NBJC, we work at the intersection of race, orientation and gender
identity. Daily, we are standing in support, solidarity and commitment
to building safe communities, families, schools, churches, and places
of employment for everyone, inclusive of our LGBT brothers and
sisters. And while it is incredibly rewarding to know that we are
helping to make the world a better place for all people, the
challenges of this work have resonated with me, as a wife, stepmother
and advocate, deeply.
Together, my husband and I are helping to raise nieces, nephews,
unofficially adopted sons and daughters we love and look after like
our own. While we try our hardest to create a haven within our home
for their many talents, quirks, and big personalities, we unleash them
into the world hoping for the best. As adults we have come to know all
too well the importance of creating safe spaces in our schools so that
all our children can thrive. But how can our young people meet their
full potential when they are being harassed, teased and rejected for
who they are?
Just last month, NBJC, the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force and the
National Center for Transgender Equality (NCTE) released data from
Injustice at Every Turn: A Look at Black Respondents in the National
Transgender Discrimination Survey, which found that half of the
respondents who attend school expressing their transgender identity or
gender non-conformity reported incidents of harassment. And it doesn't
stop there.
According to research from the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education
Network (GLSEN), 85 percent of African-American LGBT students say they
hear anti-gay language at school. Too often these same students don't
even end up making it to school. About a quarter of those same
students said they've missed class at least once or missed at least
one full day of school in the past month because they felt unsafe or
uncomfortable, compared to just 6.3 percent of all black youth and 3.5
percent of all white youth.
These alarming statistics and the very real faces behind them have led
NBJC to join the "be a STAR" alliance, a coalition committed to
creating a positive social environment for everyone regardless of age,
race, religion, or orientation through education and awareness. In
conjunction with the National Education Association Health Information
Network, "be a STAR" has created an anti-harassment toolkit for
students, teachers and parents to foster an environment in which
tolerance and respect for all people is the norm.
Bullying and violence have no place in our schools. When our children
are the targets as a result of their orientation, perceived
orientation, gender identity or gender expression, it is critical that
there are adults they can turn to. It is imperative that their allies
be visible so that they won't have to be invisible. This is our
responsibility to not only our black LGBT youth but every child.
It is going to take a village to change the culture of bullying. As
adults, we have an obligation to help young people "own their power."
If they are bullied or witness their friends being harassed, they
should feel empowered to speak up and speak out. That's where we come
in.
We must engage our children in open and honest dialogue around anti-
gay violence and rhetoric and bring LGBT-inclusive books, movies, and
conversations into the home. Start a Gay-Straight Alliance with your
son or daughter if they don't already have one. And if there is one,
you can volunteer, whether your child is gay or not. Being a silent
spectator is not an option. It is about building community and letting
our children know that we care.
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