Polina Blinova, Grade 11
UWC Maastricht
The Netherlands is a progressive place in terms of LGBTQ+ rights, and UWC in itself is also very accepting. It is, therefore, easy to create an illusion for yourself of coming to a fairyland full of rainbows, and while, for the most part, it is quite true, nothing can always be perfect.
“Spectrum” is an after-school club at UWCM, which became a place of inclusion and acceptance. People shared their stories and experiences, and you did not even have to be a member of the queer community to take part in the weekly meetings. There were allies, and there were people who would randomly show up to one of the meetings, and whom we’d never see there again, but more often than not, there were people who were part of the community. People of completely different backgrounds, people who identify differently, people who have different opinions. We talked about the real-world issues, we had fun, and we organized events. I enjoyed it as it was nice being surrounded by people who understand you and share your views.
The club was also in charge of creating an LGBTQ+ themed week in the school. And it was great: we had workshops and movie screenings, we had speakers and even a drag show. We took pictures dressed in colors of the rainbow, and we hung the pride flag in front of the school. When it was over, we went back to our meetings, and we went back to discussing problems faced by the community on a day to day basis.
Of course, even in the context of UWC, nothing is perfect. One day, people started talking about getting a proper sex educator for Spectrum next year since it was quite obvious that the current school program was no good. An hour of ‘consent talk’ that is given by a teacher is clearly not enough. The occasional workshops on the topic of sex were mostly about how to avoid pregnancy, which is not useful for a lot of people. All of this made me think about the fact that even though I go to a liberal school in a liberal country, a lot of topics are still avoided and even disregarded. Some teachers were uncomfortable and reluctant to talk about the intolerability of the gay and trans slurs when asked to do so during Spectrum Week, but they were quite happy to let the students host the drag show. At least for me, it seems like it is still the case that even at a UWC, people struggle to openly talk about such issues. I get that they are hard and awkward to discuss, but they are important.
I come from a place where anything concerning gender identity and sexual relations is a complete taboo. And when I came to UWCM, I was surprised to see that the attitude of some teachers did not change significantly in comparison to my country. Why do we still find it hard to say out loud the names of reproductive organs, and why do we not want to provide queer teenagers with sex education they deserve? Why can kids from conservative countries find it in themselves to go to Spectrum and openly discuss issues of that manner, while some of our educators get embarrassed when addressed with a question like that? It certainly does not reflect every teacher and staff member, but the attitude of that kind is still present, and while not in significant numbers, it is still there, and it is still against the things UWC aims to fight for.
It is not all rainbows. Spectrum is fun, but Spectrum is also important. Being queer is not your entire identity, but it should not be disregarded. There are many things that we, as a community, need to continue working for. LGBTQ+ clubs like ours can be a platform for change, and so can UWC. That is, if we focus more on the importance of our actions, that is if we do not avoid uncomfortable, yet urgent topics.
“Spectrum” is an after-school club at UWCM, which became a place of inclusion and acceptance. People shared their stories and experiences, and you did not even have to be a member of the queer community to take part in the weekly meetings. There were allies, and there were people who would randomly show up to one of the meetings, and whom we’d never see there again, but more often than not, there were people who were part of the community. People of completely different backgrounds, people who identify differently, people who have different opinions. We talked about the real-world issues, we had fun, and we organized events. I enjoyed it as it was nice being surrounded by people who understand you and share your views.
The club was also in charge of creating an LGBTQ+ themed week in the school. And it was great: we had workshops and movie screenings, we had speakers and even a drag show. We took pictures dressed in colors of the rainbow, and we hung the pride flag in front of the school. When it was over, we went back to our meetings, and we went back to discussing problems faced by the community on a day to day basis.
Of course, even in the context of UWC, nothing is perfect. One day, people started talking about getting a proper sex educator for Spectrum next year since it was quite obvious that the current school program was no good. An hour of ‘consent talk’ that is given by a teacher is clearly not enough. The occasional workshops on the topic of sex were mostly about how to avoid pregnancy, which is not useful for a lot of people. All of this made me think about the fact that even though I go to a liberal school in a liberal country, a lot of topics are still avoided and even disregarded. Some teachers were uncomfortable and reluctant to talk about the intolerability of the gay and trans slurs when asked to do so during Spectrum Week, but they were quite happy to let the students host the drag show. At least for me, it seems like it is still the case that even at a UWC, people struggle to openly talk about such issues. I get that they are hard and awkward to discuss, but they are important.
I come from a place where anything concerning gender identity and sexual relations is a complete taboo. And when I came to UWCM, I was surprised to see that the attitude of some teachers did not change significantly in comparison to my country. Why do we still find it hard to say out loud the names of reproductive organs, and why do we not want to provide queer teenagers with sex education they deserve? Why can kids from conservative countries find it in themselves to go to Spectrum and openly discuss issues of that manner, while some of our educators get embarrassed when addressed with a question like that? It certainly does not reflect every teacher and staff member, but the attitude of that kind is still present, and while not in significant numbers, it is still there, and it is still against the things UWC aims to fight for.
It is not all rainbows. Spectrum is fun, but Spectrum is also important. Being queer is not your entire identity, but it should not be disregarded. There are many things that we, as a community, need to continue working for. LGBTQ+ clubs like ours can be a platform for change, and so can UWC. That is, if we focus more on the importance of our actions, that is if we do not avoid uncomfortable, yet urgent topics.
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