Fostering acceptance
Our society is moving away from the gender binary norms of the past. So, as we aim for equal treatment of those beyond the binary, we start to see the areas that need work. This change in gender norms is often met with confusion and misunderstanding from those who were never taught it or haven’t taken the time to fully understand it. I feel that to move forward as a society, we need to teach children about these important topics.
Parents are not always equipped to handle these types of topics and conversations with their children. And some are just against it or know nothing about it. So, never being properly introduced to these topics and having to figure it out all alone can make those children feel alienated and alone, making them more likely to develop a low self-esteem and self-worth.
I had friends who had to go through this process completely alone, and it made them feel lost and unsure of themselves. Imagine not understanding why you feel so incredibly unhappy in your own body and having no way to relate to people and explain it to them. And on the off chance you do tell people, you’re shunned for it.
Schools would be teaching students to be accepting of others, regardless of how a person identifies themselves. This is of ever-increasing importance in our society.
Even now, there are very little resources available for someone questioning their gender identity at young ages, which can be incredibly confusing and stressful. A lot of transphobia and dislike for nonbinary identities are rooted in misunderstanding, so teaching it would help normalize it and make everyone feel included and comfortable.
School should be a safe place where students feel accepted and heard. Children are not as incapable of understanding such topics as some make them out to be. So, teaching them at a young age to be accepting of others will shape the way they respect and interact with those who differ from them.
Learning about, understanding and expressing those differences will make the future generations a more diverse and accepting bunch. It would also help students who do identify differently or that are in a transitioning stage to feel heard and accepted.
Don’t you want to live in a world where we all learn to be kinder to those around us? We control how the next generation turns out. So, if there is anything to take away from this, it will be to take action in making the new generations to come more aware of these things so that we can become an accepting, diverse community.
Chelsey Yoshioka
Hilo High School student
Puna roundabouts
Did you ever notice that the roundabouts in Puna are causing more and more traffic to occur?
This concerns me, because one day I was late to a doctor’s appointment because of how bad the traffic was due to the roundabouts. This also concerns me because there are places that people need to be and aren’t getting there on time due to these roundabouts.
An article I read stated, “a pair of roundabouts on Highway 130 have improved the roadway enough that plans to build another two roundabouts have been shelved.” This means that there will possibly be a few more unnecessary roundabouts in Puna.
Traffic gets really bad, because too many people want to move at the same time of day. This isn’t necessarily the problem, but what I’m trying to explain is that people need to move faster for once in their lives.
There’s really nothing that can be done, but removing the roundabouts would be helpful and can get everyone where they need to be on time. Overall, these roundabouts in Puna need to go, because they cause way too much traffic, and it’s getting really bad.
Syncere Johnson
Hilo High School student