“They’re too young,” is a phrase you will hear in relation to many different things. Watching a TV show, driving a car, drinking a certain drink, going to a certain place.
A situation you wouldn’t think to hear this phrase is in relation to someone’s identity. But this is exactly where it has been used many times in Kitsap County.
In mid-September a poster in support of the LGBTQ+ community was removed on the grounds that it was inappropriate for the elementary students of Cougar Valley to see. Many students and parents disagreed with the decision but lots stood behind it.
Many parents took to Central Kitsap school board meetings and social media to express their approval of the decision. Referring to the poster as virtue signaling and a forced political agenda.
One Facebook user commented, “Good, now let’s take them all down… Fairview Middle School has them as well!”
In reality though, kids are not too young to know what the LGBTQ+ community is. According to a Pew Research study, “The median age across all LGB adults is 12,” as referring to when they first know their sexuality.
The same study stated for gay men specifically the age is 10 years old. This would be a fifth grader in elementary school.
You could also take me for example. I knew that I was trans at nine-years-old and came out at the same age. I later retracted that due to the fear of how I would be treated if I was openly trans.
It wasn’t until six years later that I came to terms with my identity. I know for sure that if I had the assurance that the schools I went to had an accepting environment, I would have come out sooner.
This average age will continue lowering as the world becomes more and more accepting.
Attempting to limit students’ knowledge of the LGBTQ+ community and dismissing their feelings will not only invalidate them, but make them feel as if they don’t belong.
