The Free Press, Mankato, MN

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February 10, 2008

Our View: A positive response to ugliness

Despite her obvious confidence in tackling a problem head-on, it was Leah Matz’s uneasy feelings that prompted her to act.

Matz discovered a message scorning lesbians written across her gym locker at St. Peter High School. Matz is a 15-year-old lesbian who came out two years ago.

She said the writing on the locker made her realize school isn’t necessarily a safe place.

And it should be and she knew it.

Instead of being made meek by the insult as the perpetrator likely intended, Matz got busy. Not only did she report the abuse to school authorities, but Matz decided to raise awareness about the incident.

Matz and co-organizers staged a public demonstration at the school on Friday. The auditorium was filled with hundreds of students, former students, parents and community members who listened to readings and testimonies with the message that all people deserve respect.

The demonstration is a bold move by Matz, who is a freshman. She is obviously no stranger to bold moves. Matz came out when she was in junior high, the time when most kids try to blend in, knowing that even the “wrong” clothing can draw criticism.

St. Peter school officials deserve credit for taking the locker incident very seriously. After Matz reported the incident, Principal Paul Peterson sent a letter to parents and began an investigation. He has stressed that hate speech not only violates school and district policy but is also unlawful. School officials not only approved the demonstration but allowed the public to attend and thanked them for doing so afterward.

Even with the best efforts by school officials, however, it’s clear society has a long way to go. Mankato West High School graduate Jake Reitan, who is featured in a recent documentary about Christian families with gay children, recounted in a Free Press story how he was harassed repeatedly by several students at school. His car windshield also was broken and graffiti scrawled across the family’s driveway. And those incidents were about nine years ago.

It’s up to every parent — even those who disapprove of young people coming out — to teach their children that everyone deserves to feel safe in their school community or in the larger community as a whole. And it’s up to every adult to reinforce that message in their daily lives and to speak up when they see acts of intolerance. If they need role models, they can look to a large share of students at St. Peter High School.

St. Peter stepped up and faced the ugliness that exists in every community, no matter its size or location.

As Matz said during the St. Peter gathering, we just need to start with tolerance here and make it spread.

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