On March 29, 2023, KY Senate Bill 150 officially passed. Under KY SB 150, “Districts are required to ensure any child, regardless of grade level, enrolled in the district does not receive any instruction or presentation that has a goal or purpose of students studying or exploring gender identity, gender expression or sexual orientation,” as per the Kentucky Department of Education.
Every morning, Manual students are reminded of our mantra: “Excellence, Diversity, and Tradition” From Oxford dictionary, diversity is ‘the practice or quality of including or involving people from a range of different social and ethnic backgrounds and of different genders, sexual orientations, etc,’
SB 150 directly targets diversity in schools. Teachers can choose not to use a students’ preferred pronouns without any punishment. Transgender students are prohibited from using a bathroom, locker, or shower room that doesn’t align with their biological sex. Instead, schools are urged by the board of education to offer accommodations such as specific single-stalled bathrooms for students who don’t identify as their assigned gender at birth.
“but that accommodation shall not include the use of school restrooms, locker rooms, or shower rooms designated for use by students of the opposite biological sex while students of the opposite biological sex are present or could be present.” (SB 150)
SB 150 alienates queer students, making it harder for them to get an adequate education. Even so, queer students at Manual speak out for their community.
“I’m incredibly blessed and fortunate,” Elijah Wolff (12, YPAS) said about starting to medically transition, “But to have to watch all of my younger trans friends have to go through the fear of not being able to grow up as themselves, because these years of our lives matter more than a lot of the rest of them, because this is when we’re growing up. This is when we’re figuring ourselves out”
While Wolff is graduating early, he’s still trying to have some influence on the underclassmen.
“I feel weird talking about it. It’s more the students than teachers. I feel like if I say anything about it I’m going to be judged,” Ava Medley (9, YPAS) said.
“I feel like that’s kind of our job is to be loud about it as upperclassmen so people feel more comfortable moving up,” Wolff said.
Students have different experiences at Manual, Abigail Grigsby (12, HSU) identifies as bisexual, and hasn’t had many poor experiences:
“I feel like Manual is definitely more accepting than I have heard from my LGBTQ friends’ experiences at other schools. Obviously, no school is perfect and there are those who will be prejudiced everywhere, but I have never felt personally attacked or judged by anyone here,” Grigsby said.
Manual teachers were offered safe space indicator cards that say “I am here” and adorn a variety of pride flags. They can put the card on their lanyard or in their classroom so that students can easily identify where they can find a teacher to talk to, regardless of whether they’re out or not. Many teachers chose to take and wear this card, while some did not.
“It’s about respect. It really is. I respect you as a person and as a teacher, so you should respect me as a student and as another human being… We should have basic human respect for each other as people and I feel that that’s lacking at Manual,” Wolff said.
This November, the Gay Straight Trans Alliance (GSTA), reassembled. The original officers graduated and the club was left dormant. Students wanted community, so they came together to revamp and reassemble the group.
“I want to help create a space where queer people can come and learn about queer history, learn about queer media, all that kind of stuff. Especially with all the election stuff that recently occurred. Establishing a community within the school I think is very important, and GSTA will provide that,” GSTA officer Kate Stewart (11, YPAS) said.
They meet every other Monday. Their next meeting is Nov 25 in the YPAS annex.
