FINAL SCORE: 49/50

Dante Smith

ERWC 12

Period 3

16 March, 2017

Dear Dr. Jason Peplinski,

My four years at Santa Susana High School have been quite the experience. We

have all different types of groups: geeks, techies, dancers, actors, musicians, punks,

goths, artsy people. We have homosexuals, bisexuals, heterosexuals, asexuals, and

everything in between. But the wonderful part about Santa Su is that despite our

differences, we all unite together as one. Not once have I seen someone discriminated

against or ridiculed here for their race, sexuality, gender identity, religion, ideas, or

beliefs. My main concern is that other middle schools and high schools in this school

district arent as accepting of people who arent normal. Truth of the matter is what

even is the definition of normal? No one is normal because are all unique in our own set

ways. Personally, being a white, heterosexual male, I myself have not really received

any form of discrimination, even when I was at schools other than Santa Su like Simi

High and Valley View. But I most definitely saw discrimination take place. As early as

middle school, I witness a girl being shoved into a school locker for being lesbian. If a
guy didnt fit a gender norm or carried himself in a feminine manner, he would be called

a faggot or queer and most likely bullied in other ways at school. One of the first thing

stated on the Simi Valley Schools Website is, SVUSD does not discriminate on the

basis of age, gender, race, ancestry, national origin, religion, color, or disability in any

program or activity. But are the schools really following through with making sure this

rule remains in effect? This should be a wakeup call to the other schools. As society

becomes more accepting with the LGBTQ community, so should Simi Valley Schools.

Unfortunately many people in society still dont accept others differences or something

out of the norm. According to Professor Judith Butler in a YouTube clip, there is an

extremely deep panic or fear, an anxiety that pertains to gender norms. There have

been multiple occurrences of bullying that has gone so extreme as murder. Just look at

Laramie, Wyoming where Matthew Shepard ( a gay student) was brutally beaten and

murdered because of his sexual orientation. This is not okay.

Thankfully, over the years, there has been a growing support for the LGBTQ

community both in the United States and the rest of the world. According to WUSA9,

there has been several milestones over the past several years. For instance, same-sex

marriage was legalized nationwide in 2015. Also, Dont Ask Dont Tell in the military

was repealed in 2010. In addition, in 2014, President Obama signed an executive order

stating there will be no discriminating against someone in the workplace based on their

sexual orientation or gender identity. As you can see, there has been a number of ways

society has moved forward. But there is still a long way to go.
 There are multiple ways we can improve acceptance of the LGBTQ community in our

Simi Valley Schools. For starters, we can enforce the no discrimination policy and

follow through on consequences. This will help these people feel safer about going to

school without being bullied. Also, Simi Valley Schools can promote LGBT student run

groups similar to Santa Sus Gay Straight Alliance Club. This will give other students a

bigger perspective and enable them to see outside of the social norms. In addition,

schools can begin expanding inclusion policies like the rest of society is starting to do.

For instance, begin making unisex restrooms. Through the methods Ive stated and a

little time, people will begin to realize that discrimination and verbal harassment is

unacceptable. Together, we can do it and have a society where EVERYONE is

accepted. Thank you

Sincerely,

Dante Smith

Works Cited
Understanding Gender. Gender Spectrum, Gender Spectrum Organization,
www.genderspectrum.org/quick-links/understanding-gender/. Accessed 9 Mar. 2017.

Thande, Murugi. 6 Milestones for LGBT Rights in the Last 6 Years. WUSA, TEGNA, 13
June 2016, www.wusa9.com/news/local/6-milestones-for-lgbt-rights-in-the-last-6-
years/238911698. Accessed 14 Mar. 2017.

Lynch, Ed.D. Matthew. How to Improve the School Climate for LGBT Students. The
Huffington Post, TheHuffingtonPost.com, 2 Oct. 2014,
www.huffingtonpost.com/matthew-lynch-edd/how-to-improve-the-
school_b_5920538.html. Accessed 14 Mar. 2017.