This year all sophomores at Wayland High School attended a mandatory assembly in which members of the PFLAG organization spoke about gay, lesbians, bisexual, and trans-gender youth.

PFLAG stands for the Parents Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays, but only one parent, PJ Curran, was present. The three other speakers came to talk about their personal feelings and experiences they had to endure because they were gay or lesbian.

“I wanted to be normal,” said Lily Wilson, a Wayland High School graduate.

Growing up, Wilson knew that she was “different”, but she just went along with society’s norm. She lived the life she was expected to live and even went out with a couple of boys. When she realized that she was lesbian, she tried to deny it because it would, “ruin the American dream that [she] wanted.”

Wilson didn’t want to be different and therefore took a long time to admit to herself that she was lesbian. However, she was happier once she came to terms with herself. “It felt really good, and it felt right to be me,” she said.

As gay children grow up, they are put in environments that make them feel as if they would never be able to succeed. All around them in school, they hear words that make the word gay sound degrading at best. “[Gay people are] not going to feel safe around you if you’re using [this] language,” said Pam Garramone.

Marc Bourgeious, another speaker, told everyone that he had once tried to commit suicide. “Everything I was getting [told] was negative,” he said. Even as a small child, the other children at his school made fun of him and called him a “fag” as well as different slurs.

Just like Wilson, he had pretended to be someone who he wasn’t because of all the hatred he received even before he admitted to being gay. He even switched out of his original school to escape.  “I was just sick and tired of being made fun of,” he said.

Bourgeious commented that having come out, his life is marginally harder than most people’s lives. He described being labeled a gay as, “a constant hurdle that [I] have to jump over.” After everyone knew of his “difference,” he felt a large weight lift off his shoulders. Since then, his life has improved because he is living the way he wants to.“I’m happy with myself,” he said.

PFLAG came to Wayland High School to tell students of their impact on others because of the words they say. People substitute the word gay for uncool, and “That’s so gay,” is becoming more incorporated in everyday speech. Hopefully after hearing the importance of their speech, students will refrain from saying this, and make changes that will seem subtle to them, but will greatly impact people in the gay community.

“I think that the stories are deep enough to affect a lot of people,” said sophomore Drew Bachman.  Classmate Bhavna Sivasubramanian agreed because it, “[Shows] how actual gay people feel.”

As people grow older, the words they say have more impact and are taken more seriously. With the new responsibility that they receive, students should make sure that it goes to create a healthy environment in which no one feels like they are a lesser being because they are different.

“Words have an effect on people, whether you mean them or not,” said Garramone.

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