Manual Arts High: 'That’s so gay will slip out but then they apologize'

As the first full day of legal same-sex marriage dawned in California, a class of ninth-graders at Manual Arts High School in South Los Angeles considered the issue with surprisingly sophisticated and opinionated views.

“Gay people have rights just like everyone else and can do what they want,” said one student.

“They’re not going to hurt anyone else since it’s only between two people,” said another.

But, “How will it impact society if they won’t be able to reproduce?” was a common argument against voiced by one boy.

“Anger against same-sex marriage might promote violence against gays,” said another boy.

The discussion was part of Travis Miller’s effort to promote better writing and communicating by having his second-period English students organize thinking about a subject and defend their reasoning.

Questions generated by the group will be put to a married gay couple and an opponent of same-sex marriage who is supporting the November ballot measure to ban the practice, whom Miller has invited to be interviewed by the students.

The students, said Miller, 34, seem to be far more open-minded about gays and same-sex marriage than he remembers teenagers being during his own high school years.

The prevailing sentiment expressed in the class was “it’s cool but weird.” A few students expressed strongly held religious beliefs, reinforced, they said, by family and church.

“It’s a sin in the Bible,” said one girl, but her male classmate responded, “Jesus said we can forgive anyone.”

One young man argued for same-sex marriage, reasoning that “gays make the community look better,” reflecting changing  — if stereotypical —  societal and cultural influences, as Miller pointed out.

“The whole metrosexual thing has exploded and really had an influence,” he said.

But despite such sentiments, said Miller, the derogatory comment of choice on campus remains, “That’s gay.”

A discussion of Shakepeare’s "Romeo and Juliet" elicited comments that all the men must be gay because they were wearing tights. When Miller taught the students Greek mythology, some commented that because Achilles cried, he must be gay.

Gay, lesbian and bissexual students said they have heard such jokes and slurs but that the climate for them on campus is improving. Health teacher Vanya Hollis started a Gay-Straight Alliance club a year ago and during the first week of June, the school held its first Annual Gay Pride Week.

More than 800 students and teachers heard guest speakers, and during the festival the students set up a marriage booth where they could exchange vows, receive a certificate and exchange rings.

Monica, 15, who said she recently came out as bisexual, met resistance from some people she asked to help put up posters. “They said, 'I don’t want to cause it’s gay.' ”

Ramsey Santos, 16, president of the alliance, said the debate surrounding same-sex marriage has made it easier for students like himself. He used to hear classmates snicker about gays, but when he came out this year, it was “no big deal,” he said.

“I came out to my parents, and they were OK,” he said. “Nobody stopped being my friend. Sometimes, when I’m around something, like ‘That’s so gay,’ will slip out, but then they apologize. They try not to use that stuff because they know they’ll offend me.”

-- Carla Rivera

Comments

[keyonia morris]

hi and hello iam one of the students who attends manual and I took part in the meeting on the discussion of what its like to be gay at manual.the article In my opinon was very well written you know and um yea i guess thats it