L to R: Brian McCoy, Tim McKeny, Mehri Davis, Erin Hains and Mickey Hart.

ATHENS, Ohio -In the wake of several tragic suicides of LGBT youth, the Diversity Committee at The Patton College of Education and Human Services hosted a panel of LGBT students, faculty and staff to discuss the perceptions and discrimination against the LGBT community. The first Soup and Substance event of the year also coincided with National Coming Out Day, which further provided a framework for the discourse of the day.

The panel featured Mickey Hart, Director of the LGBT Center at Ohio University; Erin Hains and Mehri Davis, both graduate students in The Patton College; Tim McKeny, assistant professor in The Patton College; and Brian McCoy, staff member of the Literacy Center. The panel was moderated by Dr. Christine Bhat, assistant professor in counselor education and chair of the diversity committee in The Patton College.

Dr. Bhat opened the session by reading the names of the LGBT youth that completed suicide in recent months.

“The past few months have illustrated the horrific consequences of bullying of LGBT youth,” she said.

Each panel member discussed his or her coming out story and, while each story was different, all addressed the importance of having a support system, whether that is comprised of friends or loved ones or LGBT groups and organizations.

Dr. Bhat leading the panel in their discussion of LGBT issues.

While many in the LGBT community struggle with the decision to come out, all panel members identified coming out as a turning point in their lives.

“There comes a point in your life when you have to live honestly,” McKeny said.

In recent studies by the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN) and Campus Pride, a national nonprofit organization that works to promote safer environments for LGBT students on college campuses, students and staff alike acknowledged the presence of bullying in schools targeted at the LGBT community. The implications of these studies are that educators and other support staff within the system of education need to foster a safe environment for all students and not tolerate discriminatory language or behaviors in the classroom.

This awareness also must be extended to parents, as they play a large role in shaping the behavior and values of their children.

While all on the panel agreed that acceptance has come a long way in the past few decades, there is still a lot of work to be done.

“It’s really not all that safe yet,” McKeny said.

According to Davis, awareness is one of the main tools needed to fight discrimination. She stressed that teachers should be aware of students that are struggling and try to give them a little extra attention.

McCoy reminded the group that it is important to remember that all students do not have a mom and dad—they could have two moms or two dads as well.

Hart encouraged the future teachers in the room to try to eliminate heterosexism as much as possible in their classrooms, whether that be in the examples they give or even in mathematical word problems.

In sum, it is imperative that children be educated from a young age to be accepting of people regardless of their differences. It is also important for there to be accountability for negative behaviors such as bullying within the schools.

Ultimately, the panel unanimously concluded that encouraging discussion about LGBT issues is one of the best ways to overcome discrimination and bullying. By confronting the tough issues face to face and providing an open forum, stereotypes and misconceptions can be quelled and a mutual understanding can be attained.

The key message of the day: Speak out. “Find it within yourselves to go there and fight,” Hart said.

Story by Ashley Showen; Photos by Nicole Bersani