Sexual Orientation In Schools Essay

The impacts that religion and sexual orientation have on high school students

Since childhood we develop our identities and our choices are influenced by our sexual orientation, religion and surrounding environment ( how the people around us like friends and parents dress). People of all ages have trouble to achieve one’s own personality but teenagers are the group with the highest rate of people with low-self esteem. Why do so many teens have problems with themselves? The answer is because many haven’t learned to accept their sexual orientation or are forced to wear some clothes for religions such as the Islamism.

Recently, at Northwood High School junior Caleb and father had to force the principal to apologize for being required to write a letter from their synagogue’s rabbi asking permission to wear a kippah ( a Jewish hat used by men to pray). The boy came to school one day with the hat and when one administrator asked him to remove it, Caleb refused saying that he was wearing it for religious purposes. The principal asked for a letter for a
letter from Caleb’s family rabbi. This story is just an example of some inappropriate answers to people’s clothing preferences. MCPS’s codes has no specific guidelines prohibiting the use of hats, religious or not. The rules say that” students can’t be punished for their dress unless it’s lewd, vulgar or obscene” or stimulates the use of drugs. All schools should be respectful with other religions.

Another problem often found in high schools happen with students who cross-dress.
In other words, they wear clothes from the opposite gender. Most schools forbid Spaghetti straps, strapless shirts, sleeveless shirts for girls and sagging pants, muscle shirts for boys. In the last few years, some teenagers have been dressing to expose or hide their sexual orientation. There have been different reactions to this situation. In Houston, Texas a senior was sent home for wearing a wig that disrespected the school’s dress code rule that “no boy’s hair may not be longer than the bottom of a regular shirt collar.” However, some schools are more tolerant about cross-dressing. In Los Angeles, a gay male senior was crowned prom queen. Dress conventions regularly mirror a generational divide, with teens growing up in a culture that is getting used to double-meaning and difference than that of adults who set up the
rules.

Identity is developed since childhood when children become aware of the physical and social changes around them. The awareness can be identified when they begin to recognize themselves and develop their own tastes and personalities. When they become teenagers, these skills and abilities serve as a basis to establish their way of being and that influences the way they dress. Clothes are like a mirror: they reflect the person’s personality, feelings and way of thinking. For example, someone who wears T=shirts with skulls, ragged jeans and belts with studs transmits the idea to the outside world of being a rebel. A girl who only wears cute pink clothes may pass the idea of being romantic.

In my opinion, MCPS should create a law that requires every elementary, middle and high school to accept any kind of clothes as long as they don’t disrespect the county’s dress codes: no body exposures and no references to any drugs, alcoholic drinks, gangs or sex. All schools should accept the religious beliefs and sexual orientation from each individual. Some people might argue that the Muslim traditional custom of forcing women to cover their heads might underestimate them but I believe we should respect foreign cultures as we would like them to respect ours. Every day, we interact more with other countries and it is important to be tolerant about other cultures.