School is a place where everyone should feel welcome. Most people would agree with that statement, but words are cheap.  Does Lake Mary actually accommodate LGBTQ+ students in a respectful manner? I will be listing things the school has done, and things the school could work on to make all students more comfortable. Opinions are my own admittedly.

Gender Neutral Bathroom?

Check.  Yes, there is a gender neutral bathroom. This is to make non-binary and gender fluid people more comfortable when natures calls, but of course it is welcome for everyone to use.  This is a welcome addition for many gender non-conforming students. It’s a simple uncontroversial fix, and I personally know several gender non-conforming students who appreciate the gesture.

Student Opinions

If you feel you are not being represented, you should join the IMPACT club. They have meetings in Mr. Rivera’s room, and you can speak to him about it. This club brings students together to change the school for the better. It also serves as a point of community for LGBTQ+ students.  Being different can be particularly isolating when you are a teen, so the IMPACT club is a great addition to our Ram community.

You can also talk to a counselor if you feel isolated because of your gender, orientation and race. However it is completely justifiable if you don’t trust your counselor since they work for the government, so I would recommend a good support group as well.  You can also check out the new Ram’s lounge.  They do have counselors there that will keep your information confidential.  It’s also free.

Many of our teachers are also pretty good at being there for you.  Make sure you reach out if you need to talk to someone.

Great Possible Additions

Things that would be good additions to these already good changes would be:

• a gender neutral changing room in the gym area. This will make students much more comfortable and be much more convenient for these students.
• cleaning the bathroom walls. This might not sound like it has anything to do with LGBTQ+ students; but in reality, there are slurs and profanities on the walls of the bathrooms. This honestly doesn’t send the message of “everyone is welcome.”
• more gender neutral bathrooms scattered across campus. Right now their is only one bathroom and it is in the front office. This isn’t convenient for students who need to use the restroom upstairs or in the gym. It’s not even convenient for students on the first floor, they have to go out of their way to get to it. There should be a gender neutral restroom on every floor including the outside gym and an additional one in the cafeteria area.
• teaching sex-ed for all sexualities. The district only really teaches straight sexual safety (which they barely do). This isn’t doing any favors for LGBTQ+ students, particularly since information about STD spread can help alleviate public health issues.  I know it is ‘new’ for the district, but LGBTQ+ people are not going away, so the district needs to recognize this and adapt accordingly.
• discipline treating gender slurs with the same consideration that they treat racial slurs. There are some racially charged words that can be said on campus that get immediate attention from discipline, but calling an LGBTQ+ student a slur often gets swept under the rug.  I’m not suggesting a firing squad if someone makes an off color joke, but the LGBTQ+ community should be able to attend school without facing a barrage of jokes and criticisms directed at us.

Does LMHS accommodate to LGBTQ+ students?

Yes, it does in my humble opinion. They cater to both gender non-conforming people and students who want to feel seen. There is still work to be done though; however, acknowledging the LGBTQ+ community is a good start.