Stop Stereotyping!

             On October 20^th students at Lake Hamilton wore purple for the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) in memory of the six youths, who lived in various locations, that committed suicide. They were bullied and harassed because they were gay or said to be. This is an example of stereotyping, or a general assumption about a person or group of people.

  The color purple was selected because purple symbolizes "spirit" on the rainbow flag, a symbol for Lesbian Gay Bi Trans Gender (LGBT) pride that was created by Gilbert Baker in 1978.

            Many students at Lake Hamilton High treat others differently because of how they dress, act, or because of the group of people they hang out with. The youths who were said to be gay may not have actually been gay, just dressed the part or acted a little on the feminine side. Maybe they were stereotyped as homo because of the people they were friends with.  At Lake Hamilton High almost everyone is guilty of stereotyping, this is because students at Lake Hamilton are not experienced with difference. Stereotyping effects the way the student body treats one another and gives a bad reputation to the school. What good is being in a wolf pack if we don’t get along? 

            Why must people assume that someone isn’t cool or good enough to talk to just because they look or act different? That’s who they are and prefer to be. If others would look past all that then they can see that person is just unique. Just because they may not be popular doesn’t mean they are a freak……just anti social, and that might be because of all the stereotyping. If someone dresses in a peculiar way…don’t automatically assume they are gay, emo, wannabe, prep and so on. So what if they are? Just because someone is different don’t make them any less of a person. They are human just like the rest of us.

            I’m not innocent, I admit I have stereotyped, we all have. Why do we label each other? Who really cares what people dress, act, or look like? What really matters is what the body underneath it is like.  If students would look past appearance and get to know one another then the student body could make the school a better place. Students shouldn’t be afraid to walk the halls because of what is being said.

In the end no matter what has been said, we are still together until graduation, so why not get to know each other before the chance is gone.

                                                                                              Amber George