'Straight' shirts were bullying

The three St. Charles North High School students who wore their “Straight Pride” shirts to school on Nov. 8 during Ally Week events were bullying. They were not simply expressing their views about gay people. They were harassing their fellow students.

Imagine for a moment that these students had worn “Man Pride” shirts that had a slogan on the back about killing women, or “White Pride” shirts with something on the back about lynching. Isn't that harassment? Gay bullying is no different, and there should be no space for it in our schools.

Schools are supposed to be a safe place. Students should not feel unsafe or unequal. Teachers and school officials should not tolerate students talking about killing people because of who they are, or wearing shirts that say so and are a thinly veiled example of bullying.

This is exactly the kind of bullying that has driven kids across the country to kill themselves recently because they are gay or perceived as being gay. This is exactly the kind of hate speech that drove two young adults to beat Matthew Shepard in 1998, tie him to a fence in Wyoming, and leave him for dead, along with many violent acts against gay people since then.

Let us all hope that this thoughtless act does not spark any more teen suicides, whether they be gay or otherwise, a student in our community or anywhere else in America. Let us hope that all area schools use this event as an opportunity to learn how to react better the next time they must address bullying in our schools.

Rachel Shattuck

West Dundee