I've been harassed on the subway in New York simply because of my appearance. That's wrong.
By SHARLEEN SANTANA
As far back as I can remember, I was told that boys like blue and girls like pink. All the other colors, such as green and yellow, were viewed as 'gender neutral.' This may not seem like a big deal in the larger scheme of things, but in reality it is. Boys are supposed to be masculine and girls feminine. Why should boys who wear pink be seen as less and girls who climb trees as anything different?
While growing up, I never liked pink or bluebut I did like to climb trees. I'm a girl who dresses like a boy and doesn't care about the world's opinion of me. You may think that I'm the worst influence your child will ever meet or the sweetest girl your kid will encountereither viewpoint's fine with me.
The way someone dresses shouldn't determine whether that person gets a job or whether the person is able to ride the subway without getting harassed or searched. I have been subject to many 'random' searches in train stations, and although it wasn't said I am sure the reason was because of my appearance.
As a proud member of the LGBT community, I believe that we should have equal rights. I think we should be able to show that we are gay or lesbian without being looked down upon or attacked by society.
New York City has passed laws to end the discrimination against LGBT people. But they don't necessarily protect everybody. Can they protect me while I'm riding on the train with my partner? No. Many times on the train coming home from school I've been harassed or looked at wrongly by others. While anti-discrimination laws are in effect in New York to help the LGBT community, a lot of discrimination still goes onwhether it is said out loud or not.
Harassment against the LGBT community is a big problem across the globe. I read about police brutality in Russia, Poland and Iraq solely based on whom a person loves or how a person dresses. It's not right, and despite the many people and laws opposed to this behavior it continues to happen all around the world.
Wherever you go, whomever you love, however you dress, you should be proud. And you should be able to walk hand-in-hand without the threat of anyone interferingespecially on the subway in New York.
Sharleen Santana is a student at the Harvey Milk High School, in partnership with Hetrick-Martin Institute in New York. She is studying journalism and communications through courses offered by the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation and The New York Blade.