2007 Youth Scholar — Lexy Whitman, Washington Community High School, Washington, Ill.
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Lexy attributes a large part of her activism to encouragement from her mother, who told her, “If you’re not going to do anything to alter the outcomes, then don’t complain.” Lexy was motivated to become involved in a variety of groups addressing social issues.
Lexy was also motivated by her own personal experience with intolerance. During the one year she spent at a previous high school before she “came out,” she suffered verbal and physical harassment from other students, who presumed she was gay. She decided to transfer schools, but later decided the way to deal with the situation was to become active in protecting herself and others from harassment and bullying.
Lexy has been an active participant in the ACLU of Illinois’ Youth At Risk Project’s Heartland Safe Schools Initiative, which focuses on protecting and supporting lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender youth in Illinois. Lexy’s passionate involvement, including a powerful presentation to a packed audience about her own experiences with discrimination, has done much to raise awareness of the challenges faced by lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender students in the local community. Lexy has also worked on starting a Gay-Straight Alliance at her school, the only one in hundreds of area high schools, which she hopes will benefit future students.
Lexy's Personal Essay:
"Why I am an Activist"
There are many reasons I am an activist; however, it is my mother who truly encouraged me to become involved. While sitting down to dinner one night, we discussed the presidential election. She told me about her friends who did not even bother going to vote for President of the United States, and yet still complained about the direction of the nation and important public policy matters. At first, I didn't see the problem, but then my mother said something I'll never forget: "If you're not going to do anything to alter the outcomes, then don't complain."
That conversation began my involvement in a variety of groups discussing social issues, and led me to understand that the only way to make change is to get involved and to fight for what is right. My pledge is to ensure that no one ever can accuse me of complaining about societal problems without doing anything to correct them.
Although my initial activism was directed at helping other people, I found I could also help myself. During the single school year I spent at Metamora High School, I never came out to anyone. Still, students assumed I was gay because of the way I presented myself. This "assumption" bothered me tremendously; it was distressing that students just made the assumption that I was a lesbian without asking me. They simply assumed and reacted.
Walking between classes at Metamora, other students would make sly comments under their breath, such as "dyke," "homo," "queer," or "fag." These types of slurs bothered me, but they were just words. At least, I tried to convince myself that they were just words. It was the physical contact that affected me the most. On one occasion, walking up the stairs to one of my classes, a student tripped me, whispering "dyke" under his breath. Students pushed me into lockers, or shoved me in the hall ways. Although I probably could have defended myself, I chose not to because I was scared. There were more of "them" than there were of me, and I did not feel adequate enough to stand up for myself. There are no visible marks or scars from these incidents; they did, however, leave emotional and mental scars.
I left Metamora after one year. Was leaving an act of activism? Truly, no it was not. By leaving Metamora, I simply ran away from my problems, and did not do anything about the harassment I suffered, or even try to change my experiences.
I will never run again. After leaving Metamora, it occurred to me that others were being harassed in the same ways I endured. Now I know that the only way to protect myself, and to protect the others facing harassment and bullying, is to become active and work with others.
Recently, I appeared on a panel about the bullying of LGBT students in Peoria schools. A local activist group, Heartland Safe Schools Initiative, asked me to share my story of confronting harassment at Metamora High School. The panel was amazingly empowering for me and for the other youth present. We were making a difference — we were speaking out and standing up.
After the forum in Peoria, several people thanked me for fighting for them, and thanked me for caring. It was a great feeling, to know that I am helping so many people, including myself and my future.
Now, some friends and I are working to start a Gay Straight Alliance at our school. Even though I graduate in May, there are many other LGBT students and allies who will benefit from our work to create the GSA. It is my hope that future students will have a place to go and feel welcome at the GSA, the same welcoming feeling I have been able to find. Everyone wants to feel understood, taken seriously, and listened to. Hopefully starting this GSA accomplishes that.
My activism can be seen as part of a panel, or in a classroom or office talking about how to correct policies that allow LGBT students to be bullied or harassed. I am trying to make a difference. Activism is not only going out with picket signs and screaming at the top of your lungs, it is about trying to make a difference one way or another. This is what I have been doing over the past three years; it is what I intend to do for the rest of my life.