At the beginning of the year for the past thirteen years of my career as a teacher here at this beautiful school, there has been radio silence. When I have asked my students for 13 years if there is anything that I need to know in order to support them, there has been no mention of gender identity or sexual orientation. For those of you who speak Spanish as I do, I mean NADA.

But then this year, something shifted. Kids opened up to me and said that they identified as gay, lesbian, bisexual,  trans, and queer. I’m not talking about just one; I mean a bunch of kids. And the best part? To them it was not a big deal; they just wanted me to know. For many of these kids, what was more pressing to them was what kind of students they were, whether they felt that they were “good” in Spanish, that their parents were divorcing, or that they might be struggling with some anxiety or depression, just like every other kid in this school.

When I read these responses, I began to cry. I cried not because I was sad for the kids, but because I was so incredibly joyful that they knew who they are, that they could name what they are experiencing, and that they are living authentically. I cried that they felt confident and safe enough to share this incredibly personal information with me. I cried because I felt so much relief for them. It was, without a doubt,  one of the best moments I can recall in my entire teaching career.

For many, many years, LGBTQIA students were silent and silenced in this school. In fact,  there was no gay straight alliance until the fabulous Mr. Wanninger began our own GSA, Alliance, in 2010 .  Since then, I have noticed that more kids are out and vocal about who they are. And equally beautiful, kids who identify as straight seem to be accepting and almost dismissive of the issue, as if it is not a big deal at all. The lesson in this? Kids are open to diversity and to change. I have learned much about life in my career as a teacher; one of my truths is that kids are often better people than adults.

LFHS, you’ve changed, and I love you even more for it.