‘You have to know what it’s like to be a Black gay male attending an inner-city school in Los Angeles.’

Throughout my high school career, I haven’t felt completely comfortable. To understand what I mean, you have to know what it’s like to be a Black gay male attending an inner-city school in Los Angeles.

Not just in high school, but since I entered middle school I’ve noticed how my existence was made to be the butt of some joke. Peers were calling each other “gay� or “queer,� as if it’s some insult.

The schools need to change. People need to change.

The needs of LGBTQ+ students must be more accommodated rather than forgotten and overshadowed by those of others. We need to feel safe on any campus we step foot onto. We need help learning about ourselves, and others need to learn about us too. To add to that, people need to learn not only to respect others, but also themselves.

Far too much time has passed for many schools to act blind to the needs of a whole community of LGBTQ+ students.