What are you doing during Valentine’s Day? What can you do during Valentine’s Day?

Many students at NHHS have planned out a variety of activities from spending time with their partners to celebrating with their friends. Although, for the majority, Valentine’s Day is a day of celebration. However, for some in the LGBTQ+ community it is a reminder of something else they cannot participate in because of fundamental pieces of their existence.

“Certain cisgender heterosexual couples believe that love between the same sex cannot be possible, and that it is obsolete compared to what they call a ‘normal’ couple. This does affect my relationship with my partner because people perceive us as men though we are not, we are both Transfemme. It hurts when people stare at us–and judge us,” feels Abby Barbosa.

It is difficult to express love when you are afraid of how people see your affections. “People have harassed me and my girlfriend for dating. With the both of us being Transgender, we had become an easy target for bullying and harassment,” stated Barbosa.

“I don’t really care what people think of me, but on a day like Valentine’s Day, I would like to expose myself like other people. For example, like you see other couples getting flowers, getting them balloons, or hugging, kissing and it’s all romantic… they’re just showing love and appreciation for each other and I would like to show myself like that but it’s like there’s not a lot of people to do it with because they’re afraid of what their friends would say,” feels Kennith Flores a gay student.

Students feel that the burden of hate that is pervasive throughout school life in combination with the lack of representation and visibility makes things even more difficult and isolating.

“In the Instagram posts and everything they don’t show them [people in the LGBTQ+] for example for Valentine’s stuff in previous years they have shown other people and straight couples and everything but it’s never… the queer community isn’t really represented in any way I would say,” Flores stated

Students feel that it is difficult to enjoy a day like Valentine’s Day when it is compounded with general anti-LGBTQ+ sentiment.

Amy Goldberg, whose name has been changed for privacy stated, “I do hear a lot of people make fun of or call each other gay as an insult when it’s not, it’s just a normal thing.”

Many queer individuals feel the need to suppress modes of expression they feel comfortable with at school out of fear of not being accepted.

“Hearing people say slurs and call other gay people slurs…It’s just like the fact that were sitting in the same classroom as them that pisses them off,“ feels Nlyor Martinez.