New laws and policies in Florida have silenced queer youth in the state. But an event this week in Naples will make sure their voices are heard. Thursday evening, Queer Youth Speak Out will be held at the Naples United Church of Christ from 6 to 8. At the public event, queer students will tell their personal stories,
Dan Selvey Shaw is with GLSEN Collier County, which is hosting the event along with the Interfaith Alliance of Southwest Florida.
Shaw, who is also a Collier County teacher, says that the atmosphere for queer students in Southwest Florida has undoubtedly become more difficult in recent years.
“It's not just in the policies, which are blatantly anti-LGBTQ and anti-queer. It is in the culture of the schools where principals maybe don't believe that all kids should be treated fairly,” said Shaw.
Rebecca Beaudry is a senior at Gulf Coast High in Naples and will be one of the speakers at the event. They agree that harassment has gotten worse recently. And, they say, it’s become harder to discipline.
“People don't really shove people up against lockers and ask for their lunch money anymore. It's a lot of harassment in large spaces or big groups where it's harder to identify people,” said Beaudry.
Beaudry would like to see others speak out for queer students, as they and the other event speakers are doing.
“While things are certainly bad in Collier County right now, there are things that you can do to make it better. For example, if you're a parent of a student in Collier County, advocating for your student, and advocating for queer students, even if your student isn’t queer,” said Beaudry.
Shaw has similar advice.
“I'd like to see people a little bit more empowered and inspired by the student stories, to be willing to step out a little bit more and really advocate for these kids, no matter what,” said Shaw.
Pre-register for the public event here.
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