Dear LREI Community,
For the past few months, the SPECTRUM Committee (the new name for the Parents Association’s Lesbian/Gay/Straight Alliance) has been hard at work organizing this year’s Visibility photo exhibit, Bringing Light to Our LGBTQ Community—Showing, Sharing, Loving Who We Are. For those of you who are new to LREI, maybe a quick review of how this exhibit came to be is in order. A number of years ago the school hosted a traveling exhibit of photographs featuring lesbian and gay headed households. This exhibit, Love Makes a Family, has traveled to many institutions and is really quite beautiful. During one showing, a faculty member suggested that we create our own set of photos featuring members of our community and, thus, Visibility was born. For more than a decade the LREI community has stepped up and contributed a large number of beautiful and moving photographs. Families, alumni, faculty members are donating photos and captions and this year’s exhibit will be as wonderful as those in the past.
It is not too late to donate a photo, we always need more. Email visibility@lrei.org to signal your interest, ask questions or to send in a photo of your family, friends, etc.
One other historical comment. Whether it is welcoming teachers who had been blacklisted in their chosen profession into the school or making space for children from segregated schools, Little Red School House and Elisabeth Irwin High School has a long history of involvement in civil rights and social justice movements. The Visibility photo exhibit is an action in the same vein. Many members of the extended LREI community cannot comfortably and safely be open about who they are, cannot marry whom they love and are denied rights that are afforded to others without question. Our hope is that through making these community members and families more visible the LREI community will do its small part to emphasize just how unfair the current situation is and just how important it is that things change.
A few questions and answers:
- Is the photo exhibit still necessary now that same sex marriage is legal in New York and the federal government recognizes these marriages? It sure is. As a community of young people, we need to remain in the struggle for the safety and well-being of LGBTQ youth who continue to be victims of bias, bullying and violence. We need to continue to make visible those who don’t experience gender as “either/or” but as a continuum of experience and expression. We need to truly see those whose identity may not be expressed by their bodies. There are still laws and minds to change. For more information about safe schools and anti-bullying efforts visit www.GLSEN.org.
- Why doesn’t the photo exhibit invite pictures of all families at LREI?
While this would make for a warm and wonderful exhibit, such an exhibit would suggest that all families are equal. While I believe this to be true, that love and caring are powerful and wonderful no matter who is sharing them, it is essential to remember that while all love may be equal, not all love is treated equally, not all families have the same rights and that some people have to hide their true selves or run the risk of emotional or physical assault. We choose to highlight those who do not see themselves in the mainstream.
- Is this exhibit appropriate for our youngest students?
It is. As you view the photos in the exhibit a number of themes will emerge for you–dignity, friendship, equality, and courage, among others. But most of all, the theme or feeling or emotion that you will take away from viewing these beautiful photographs is love—love for family and friends and parents and children—and I can think of no reason that, of all things, we should ever question the appropriateness of love, the power of love, the importance of love and the right to love.
- Love, but sex as well, no?
No. When younger students see these photos they see friends and loved ones. They see smiles and laughter. Might they ask a question about how two mommies or two daddies can have a baby? Sure. There are many answers to this question that do not stretch what is appropriate or comfortable to discuss with younger kids. If we are going to change the way in which people are treated, if we are going to put an end to discrimination, then we have to begin with the youngest members of our community and not wait until the adults in the world have been able to impart their bigotry.
The Visibility Photo Exhibit will be on display in both the 272 Sixth Avenue building and the 40 Charlton Street building from Monday, February 3 – Friday, February 14. There will be a reception to celebrate the opening of the exhibit on Monday, February 10 at 6:00p.m. in the 272 Sixth Avenue building.