As a BU alumnus and a gay man, I was disappointed and shocked to see that Chancellor Silber disbanded BU Academy’s gay-straight alliance (GSA).
My own high school did not have a GSA, and I spent years being ashamed of who I was and suffering alone. Because I had always been a little different, I was labeled a “faggot” when I was still too young to know the meaning of the word. Now I know I was not the only one.
Had a GSA existed at my high school, things may have been different for me growing up. For a struggling gay teen, GSAs are a safe place to go where you can meet others like you, feel the acceptance of your peers and seek the advice of a mentor. GSAs do not promote any kind of sex. Their goal is to promote tolerance, and preventing them from existing only promotes intolerance.
Bigotry and hate do not start in our college years and they need to be fought well before students reach that level. I believe that BU Academy students are open-minded, but that does not mean a GSA is not needed at the school. Unfortunately, prejudice exists everywhere, and if the Academy’s administrators think the BU Academy is free of harassment and discrimination, they are simply wrong.
I see no harm in allowing a GSA at BU Academy, and I hope that its students do not take this decision lying down. If anything, this injustice should spur them on and make them more determined than ever to make their school more accepting.
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