I get joy from seeing how visibility and education can change lives!
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Hi John,
We are living in challenging times, marked by voices and actions that undermine progress and threaten the hard-won rights that keep us safe and supported. It is all too easy to be discouraged by the state of the world around us.
This is Episode Four of our Joyathon — and I know this email didn’t start very joyfully, but bear with me. Sometimes by taking an honest look at reality, you stumble upon joy
As a 10th-grade English teacher in Tennessee, I’ve experienced the heaviness of the world we’re living in firsthand. The high school I teach at is one of the most diverse in the state, with over 19 native languages spoken by both students and parents; recently, at parent-teacher conferences, I spoke with a mother who speaks Arabic, Somali, French, and English. Our culturally blended community is one of my favorite things about our school. Yet, on Wednesday, November 9, I had countless students ask me if they were going to be deported, afraid that they were no longer welcome in their homes. At the end of that same day, my queer students gathered around my desk, and we talked about the rights like marriage equality that they feared might be taken away
It is all too easy to be discouraged by the state of the world around us.
However,
(because there has to be a however)
The cold stone of hopelessness that sank in my stomach after the election has turned into a blazing coal — infuriated, flaming, and bright. And within that flame, I’ve found a stubborn, unshakable joy: the joy of showing up for my students as my most honest self. The joy of watching queer students find the confidence to advocate for themselves. The joy of knowing that visibility and education can change lives.
As a recipient of one of It Gets Better’s 50 States. 50 Grants. 5000 Voices. school grants, I’ve seen how simple, powerful acts like hanging a Pride flag in my classroom or protecting books that reflect my students’ identities can light a spark of hope — and joy — even in dark times. This work matters. No matter what is happening politically, we cannot stop doing the everyday work that transforms the lives of LGBTQ+ youth.
I am committed to showing up in my classroom as my truest self, defending the Pride flag on my walls, and holding space for my students to find their voices. I will not stop, and neither should you. Organizations like It Gets Better matter now more than ever. Together, we can ensure that LGBTQ+ youth not only survive but thrive, filled with the knowledge that their joy is their power.
Award-winning author, feminist, and social justice activist L.R. Knost put it like this:
Do not be dismayed by the brokenness of the world. All things break. And all things can be mended. Not with time, as they say, but with intention. So go. Love intentionally, extravagantly, and unconditionally. The broken world waits in darkness for the light that is you.
No one can extinguish our light. And in our light, in our joy, lies the power to mend the world.
Sarah Dean
10th Grade English Teacher
Tennessee
P.S. - Donate $75 or more before December 31 and we will send you a copy of Perfectly Queer, our one-of-a-kind interactive card game designed to help young queer people talk openly about their sexuality and gender identity with allies and loved ones.
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