“Get back in the closet.”

Regret.

“Go back to your country.”

Shame. 

It’s 2021, a year where we are still dealing with a global pandemic, a year with a new president, a year where people are fighting for their rights. Times are changing.

Why, then, are our views still stuck in the previous century?

As society comes into a progressive era, different minority groups start to become more accepted (though there is a long way to go). The hostile whispers as someone in the LGBTQ+ community walks down the hallways become more faint. Slurs are being condemned and inclusivity is being enabled. The journey of that has led us to this point has been long and hard, but progress is finally being seen. 

It is safe to say Coppell High School is a diverse school. The plethora of races, genders and sexual orientations at CHS is what makes us unique. Students are allowed, if not encouraged, to celebrate their diversity and unique qualities through their appearance, social groups and words. While the majority of the students are aware and support being inclusive, there will always be that group of people who are not. Cultural acceptance is prevalent in CHS, such as heritage nights and kaleidoscopes, CHS promotes racial acceptance. 

Implementing LGBT+ friendly staff training can go a long way and can make students with different lifestyles feel less alienated. An existing form of inclusivity in CHS is the the Gay-Straight Alliance Club, a student CHS club that is really only inclusivity is coming from the student level. We aren’t getting the district-level support with LGBTQ rights as we do with racial equality through district-sponsored events such as kaleidoscope and heritage night.

But here’s the thing: whether one chooses to be inclusive or not, society will continue to progress. Different groups of people will still be present, thriving and gaining support. Everyone can take part in supporting basic human rights and equality, while respecting others solely for being human. Disagreeing with someone is valid; disagreeing with someone’s identity and existence is not. 

Since inclusivity is inevitable, how can we embrace it?

People tend to associate in the same groups and social circles are often compact. This is not something that should be looked down upon, but if everyone did their part in expanding their social circles a little bit, reaching out to people who don’t look like them or share part of their identity with them, a lot more people would feel included, loved and cared for. In turn, your horizon will be expanded, being exposed to different opinions and perspectives.

Having privilege pushes you to be stuck in these walls where everything is perfect. The harsh reality is, things are not always perfect for minority groups. In fact, stories are ignored, people are disregarded and thus, progress is slow to come. Instagram accounts such as @coppellvoices cracked open these issues, and showed everyone the various problems that minority groups face everyday, including abuse and bullying, neither of which are acceptable. 

Let’s start accepting people for who they are, because regardless of personal opinions, they won’t change. We all deserve love just for existing on this planet, especially if our identities are harmless to everyone.  Being a part of the LGBTQ+ community won’t affect anyone negatively, being Black won’t harm others. Respecting each other’s identity and bringing people up is how society can continue to move forward with light. Having a more accepting and diverse community can only be a good thing for Coppell. As citizens of the city, we should strive to achieve a more inclusive community everyday. 

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