by Sabina Neem
On Wednesday, Sept. 27, I attended the Seattle Public Schools board meeting. Many community members were there — students, parents, teachers, administrators. Several on the agenda were slated to share why students should not be supported in their right to a safe learning environment if they are not cisnormative in their gender identity and expression; in particular, they were protesting “3211 Gender-Inclusive Schools: Transgender and Gender-Expansive Student Rights and Supports” adopted in July 2020. The support for LGBTQ+ students and the community was strong. After the few initial comments, there was a flurry of comments advocating that trans* students have a right to an educational environment that is safe and supportive. There were many who expressed gratitude for all that has been done thus far to achieve this.
Next to me, I heard a community member exhale, “I’m so tired of us being so grateful for getting the scraps.” I felt it too. Yes, gratitude is a powerful mover. It opens us up to want to do more, be better. And, in Seattle, it feels like those of us on the margins are always expected to wax poetic on how lovely it is to be invited in. We’re invited in, and then what?
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