Do you think different sexual orientations are accepted at Blair?

"I think Blair is one of the more accepting schools around. I don't personally know what happens at other high schools but I do know that at Blair, there are very differently oriented students. I don't know anybody who isn't okay with their friends' varying sexualities, because all my friends are so accepting. I think there are so many different people at Blair, that you will find at least 10 other people in your situation, so a lot of people can identify with a lot of others. The majority at Blair will accept all sexual orientations, and if they don't, there will be a minority that will."
-freshman Iliya Smithka

"I do not know whether Blair is a school with tolerance toward people with alternate sexual orientations. But I do know that many of the students at Blair are very prejudiced against people of alternate sexual orientations. These are the very close-minded people with strong prejudices and their excuse is that being gay is sinful according to Christianity, and Christianity is the only religion which can bring you to Heaven. They believe that being a person with alternative sexual orientations is a choice, that people choose to become gay, or bisexual. I cannot understand their way of thinking, and being an atheist, I hope that is not what Christianity is teaching them. I ask these people, why don't people of alternative sexual orientations "convert" back to being heterosexual when they face society's un-acceptance of them? Not only do they believe all of the above, they believe that marriage is a religious union of a man and a woman. They believe that atheists cannot really get "married." They can only become a "civil union." I seek for the lawful and real definition of "marriage." I think these people need to find the right religion and the right way to think, because they are wrong."
-freshman Chao Xue

"Blair is not at all accepting of all sexual orientations. Last year, during the protest against the proposed constitutional ban on gay marriage, people actually laughed in my face when I asked if they would sign a petition against the amendment. From what I've seen, people worry too much about what their friends or family would think if they openly displayed support for gays and lesbians. Bisexual women, however, don't seem to be as much of a problem, as long as they look like Britney and Madonna."
-sophomore Audrey Kubetin

"No, I don't feel like Blair is accepting to all sexual orientations. For one thing, I'm gay and when I walk down the hallway I get stares and laughs because I'm not necessarily like other people. I have people saying stuff behind my back like "I hate faggots man, why faggots go to be in this school?” So to me that's not acceptable. Acceptance to me is when everybody minds their own business and people of all sexual orientation can walk down the hallways without being stared down or laughed at.
-senior Marquette Williamson

"I feel that Blair is not very accepting of all sexual orientation. Students at Blair are very much afraid of being different from other people. If another student finds something "wrong” with another peer, they are usually not very tolerant of that peer. Furthermore, I have constantly heard people talking about what things they would do to a homosexual person, and not very nice things, almost everywhere I go. I also constantly hear people make snide comments about people of different sexual orientation and often make fun of them or use the word ‘gay” wherever they find something weird about someone. ”There are too many people that are against people of different sexual orientation and homophobic people at Blair for it to be very accepting of people of all sexual orientations.
-freshman Brian Chang

"Blair maybe one of the most diverse and accepting schools in this area, but it is also the place where I witness the most homo words used in the wrong tenses. Every day when I walk down the hall, I hear terms such as "that's so gay!” and "you're a fag.” A gay or lesbian person could never feel accepted in a community where these terms are used every day. As the president of Blair's Gay-Straight Alliance I feel that our school community still has a long way to go.”
-junior Jocelyn Dowling

"To me it all depends on how some gay people feel about themselves. What I mean by this is that if a person feels comfortable about who they truly are, then it doesn't matter what people say and how they may look at them. Basically, if you and your partner can accept you, just move on with your life and don't let what people say get to you. Also, no matter if you are gay or not, someone in every school will find something negative to say to you. Basically, if anyone takes pride in who they are, they will overcome the harsh things people do and say to them. Remember who you truly are!”
-freshman Blake Winston

"No, because the majority of Blair students are homophobic. Being a homosexual male myself, I have heard many derogatory names used to hurt my inner woman. Blair as a school does not accept homosexuality. There may be a club that does, but that club has about seven members. This prejudice and discrimination has caused me to wake up in a puddle of sweat every morning, knowing that I will be going to a school that hates gay people. I constantly heard the word "faggot” or "queer” being used to describe people and it offends me.”
-Anonymous