Celebrate individuality

I believe that people need to be more accepting of others. We are making a lot of progress as a country toward accepting people who are different, but there is still so much hatred that it often overshadows any good that is done. Recently, my school, Harry D. Jacobs, adopted is own Gay Straight Alliance club, which is part of the new anti-bullying movement. This all sounds dandy, and it is, until students in the club realize that despite the efforts the club makes to promote equality and acceptance they’re still going to get bullied for being different.

The fact that students are bullied because of their sexuality is sad enough, but the reasons behind it are even more sickening. Ignorance and lack of respect are the reasons behind bullying.

If students learned more about their fellow students rather than just scrutinizing them for one difference, they could see how similar they truly are and perhaps become friends rather than enemies.

This isn’t just a problem in schools; even adults don’t realize that we’re all humans and our differences make us unique. Being different is a beautiful thing, we should celebrate it not be targeted because of it.

Alison Griffin

Lake in the Hills

Jacobs High School