STUDENT LEADER FEATURES
SCROLL THROUGH TO READ WHAT INSPIRED FOUR QUEER PRHS STUDENTS TO COME OUT AGAINST HATE
EVE BARAJAS
Fighting for a future where student safety is secured for all.
By: Maicah Cabello
Underneath the burning spotlights and the 300+ pairs of eyes, PRHS sophomore Eve Barajas stood, microphone in hand, and helped open a conversation whose effects are going to impact the future of our campus.
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“LGBT isn’t a category. It isn’t something vulgar or gross. It isn’t something you need to hide from your kids. We aren’t just something that, no, we aren’t a belief. We aren’t a political idea. We’re not something controversial, we are a group of people. And in the same way that people are born knowing who they want to be and men know they like women, women know they like men. That’s how it is for us. It isn’t something we’re choosing to be or believe,” Barajas said.
Being one of the first organizers to put the Coming Out Against Hate forum into action, Barajas began with spreading awareness but ended up recruiting speakers to share their testimonies, writing her own lines, and MC-ing alongside senior John Seden-Hansen. With a goal of improving the overall student safety on campus, Barajas spearheaded the event to draw attention to the students themselves and their stories while simultaneously getting the attention of the decision makers in our district.
“[The forum] opened the eyes of a lot of the adults and the people in this town because not everyone in this town is actually in the school, that was their first glimpse into the reality of what’s happening at Paso High.”
Although Barajas herself hasn’t experienced a hate crime, from what she’s seen, students are scared.
“It’s a very scary experience. It’s not knowing if you’re going to be outed to unsupportive family members. It’s not knowing if someone’s going to jump you on the way home cuz you wore a pride pin to class that they didn’t like. It’s being scared to voice your opinions or come out because then people will assume things about you,” Barajas said.
After being involved in the Equality Club for three years in middle school, Barajas is now the president of the Equality Club here on campus with a goal of spreading awareness.
“Spreading awareness leads to normalizing our community and students on campus. It’s not seen as something that needs to be ostracized and having the Equality Club also provides a safe space for students on campus,” she said.
“[The forum] opened the eyes of a lot of the adults and the people in this town because not everyone in this town is actually in the school, that was their first glimpse into the reality of what’s happening at Paso High.”
Although Barajas herself hasn’t experienced a hate crime, from what she’s seen, students are scared.
“It’s a very scary experience. It’s not knowing if you’re going to be outed to unsupportive family members. It’s not knowing if someone’s going to jump you on the way home cuz you wore a pride pin to class that they didn’t like. It’s being scared to voice your opinions or come out because then people will assume things about you,” Barajas said.
After being involved in the Equality Club for three years in middle school, Barajas is now the president of the Equality Club here on campus with a goal of spreading awareness.
“Spreading awareness leads to normalizing our community and students on campus. It’s not seen as something that needs to be ostracized and having the Equality Club also provides a safe space for students on campus,” she said.
AVA HUGHES
Senior Ava Hughs takes on a big role in putting together the Coming Out Against Hate forum
By: Emily Neri
A sea of colorful masks, progressive flags all around the auditorium, and over 300 SLO residents cramped together to hear the testimonials of 14 students was a historical night for PRHS. The energy of the audience radiated support, empathy, and respect making October 22, 2021 an unforgettable day.
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Senior Ava Hughes played a vital role in making this event successful with a remarkable outcome.
“I wanted adults to understand the pain we go through. I want staff and students that were directly hurt by the actions of the school board and the student’s hate crime to feel respected and shown the empathy and compassion that they deserve but weren’t getting. I want people of different generations and backgrounds to understand that this is an incredibly important issue that we deserve to hear.”
Hughes felt she could not be silent when she heard about the flag restrictions because of how unjust it felt to her and all queer students at Paso High. Hughes attended several meetings, provided support, and wanted to act as a role model to younger students.
“I want everyone who steps foot on Paso High to know that we aren’t going anywhere. We deserve to be respected, seen, and we should be able to feel comfortable here. We need to change the school and the climate we create here to be accessible to everybody and genuinely feel like they belong here because it’s not like that”
As progress is still being made on the issues presented, Hughes’ leadership role in the event has provided a huge leap in the right direction of representation and education for those part of the LGBTQ+ community on campus. Hughes paved the way for students to have the opportunity to speak their truth and influence those around them.
“I wanted adults to understand the pain we go through. I want staff and students that were directly hurt by the actions of the school board and the student’s hate crime to feel respected and shown the empathy and compassion that they deserve but weren’t getting. I want people of different generations and backgrounds to understand that this is an incredibly important issue that we deserve to hear.”
Hughes felt she could not be silent when she heard about the flag restrictions because of how unjust it felt to her and all queer students at Paso High. Hughes attended several meetings, provided support, and wanted to act as a role model to younger students.
“I want everyone who steps foot on Paso High to know that we aren’t going anywhere. We deserve to be respected, seen, and we should be able to feel comfortable here. We need to change the school and the climate we create here to be accessible to everybody and genuinely feel like they belong here because it’s not like that”
As progress is still being made on the issues presented, Hughes’ leadership role in the event has provided a huge leap in the right direction of representation and education for those part of the LGBTQ+ community on campus. Hughes paved the way for students to have the opportunity to speak their truth and influence those around them.
DANNY PEREZ
PRHS senior shares why supporting the LGBTQ+ community on campus is important.
By Zoey Rainey
Embarking on his final months at PRHS, senior Danny Perez strives for change on campus surrounding safety and honesty. Perez shared a student testimony of being a queer student on campus and all of the struggles that entail at the Coming out against hate forum.
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Perez felt that because he has been open about his sexuality for the majority of his high school life he was obligated to speak out for those students
who felt they couldn’t.
“Well, as a queer student, I did feel as though it was my duty to kind of speak at it because I have been out for many years, basically, my whole high school career.So I felt as though I had to, because a lot of people weren’t able to,” Perez said. Though recent events of hate crimes have been making students feel unsafe, this problem has always existed.
“Being queer on campus is rough. I don’t feel safe. I never know what’s going to happen to me. And I always have to think twice about whatever I’m doing, because I know that I have a critical eye on me. And I know that my presence is a threat. And that is scary,” Perez said.
According to Perez the school has not been taking action when students feel unsafe.
“There have been incidents in the past with other friends who have had violent, physical, acts of hate taken upon them, and nothing happened. Even when they went and reported it, which is what people are told to do when something like that happens, nothing happened. And so a lot of times, I have to think about my own safety because even just statistics, we just had a Signs of Suicide thing and it says one in eight men struggle with depression, but that’s not including gay men, whereas it’s like one in every three. It’s hard and it’s suicide rates and depression rates and anxiety rates are so high among the community that, and it’s because of students, it’s because of the lack of knowledge. It’s because we don’t know where we belong on campus, we don’t know where we can feel safe,” Perez said.
The first thing he believes needs to happen for change to happen on campus is for the school to be honest with students.
“The biggest thing is ,first, transparency. Letting students know what is available on campus, because a lot of people don’t know what services we offer. I think that being able to move forward and be so vulnerable on a stage in front of such a large body of people, is the first step to addressing everything. If you can do it in front of hundreds of people, then you can do it privately in a meeting with the people who need to make the changes. I think that it’s very nice to be able to have that connection now to know more people in our community and know that ultimately everyone is loved.”
who felt they couldn’t.
“Well, as a queer student, I did feel as though it was my duty to kind of speak at it because I have been out for many years, basically, my whole high school career.So I felt as though I had to, because a lot of people weren’t able to,” Perez said. Though recent events of hate crimes have been making students feel unsafe, this problem has always existed.
“Being queer on campus is rough. I don’t feel safe. I never know what’s going to happen to me. And I always have to think twice about whatever I’m doing, because I know that I have a critical eye on me. And I know that my presence is a threat. And that is scary,” Perez said.
According to Perez the school has not been taking action when students feel unsafe.
“There have been incidents in the past with other friends who have had violent, physical, acts of hate taken upon them, and nothing happened. Even when they went and reported it, which is what people are told to do when something like that happens, nothing happened. And so a lot of times, I have to think about my own safety because even just statistics, we just had a Signs of Suicide thing and it says one in eight men struggle with depression, but that’s not including gay men, whereas it’s like one in every three. It’s hard and it’s suicide rates and depression rates and anxiety rates are so high among the community that, and it’s because of students, it’s because of the lack of knowledge. It’s because we don’t know where we belong on campus, we don’t know where we can feel safe,” Perez said.
The first thing he believes needs to happen for change to happen on campus is for the school to be honest with students.
“The biggest thing is ,first, transparency. Letting students know what is available on campus, because a lot of people don’t know what services we offer. I think that being able to move forward and be so vulnerable on a stage in front of such a large body of people, is the first step to addressing everything. If you can do it in front of hundreds of people, then you can do it privately in a meeting with the people who need to make the changes. I think that it’s very nice to be able to have that connection now to know more people in our community and know that ultimately everyone is loved.”
SPROUT ARAGON
The importance of fighting for what you
believe in and expressing who you are By: Emily Neri
Vice President of the Equality club and sophomore Sprout Aragon shared how students can feel safe on campus and why it’s important for students to express who they are. Aragon is a transgender female and uses the prounouns She/They. During the Forum she expressed what it was like to be in school while discovering who she is, the struggles that came with it, and why she needed to speak up.
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“Before I transitioned I was a gay male and I was bullied for that so I know what it feels like and I wanted to speak up against it.” Aragon said.
She feels strongly that the school needs to be more aware of transgender students and their need to use their preferred bathrooms or lockerooms. Aragon expressed how she has felt supported by most staff and students at PRHS as she transferred from Templeton to Paso where the environment was less than ideal for her needs.
The Coming Out Against Hate event was important to many students and was used as a way to start the important conversations about the problems surrounding LGBTQ+ students on campus. Though the outcome of this event was unknown Aragon was proud to speak out for what she believes in, “I just hope to spread awareness. It was hard for me to do because I wasn’t sure about my safety but I wanted to let people know that we’re here and we’re here to stay. We are here and proud,” Aragon said.
As the situation on campus continues to evolve Aragon will continue fighting for what students
need.“We’re going to keep fighting until we get what everyone needs to feel safe here. We need
supportive teachers, proper education in LGBTQ+ history and how to support people who are coming out.” Aragon said.
There is not only a need for the school to be supportive but for students to learn who they are and be proud of it. As Aragon stated, “If you’re having a hard time, Equality Club is a safe space and you shouldn’t be afraid of who you are, be proud of who you are. Live your truth.”
She feels strongly that the school needs to be more aware of transgender students and their need to use their preferred bathrooms or lockerooms. Aragon expressed how she has felt supported by most staff and students at PRHS as she transferred from Templeton to Paso where the environment was less than ideal for her needs.
The Coming Out Against Hate event was important to many students and was used as a way to start the important conversations about the problems surrounding LGBTQ+ students on campus. Though the outcome of this event was unknown Aragon was proud to speak out for what she believes in, “I just hope to spread awareness. It was hard for me to do because I wasn’t sure about my safety but I wanted to let people know that we’re here and we’re here to stay. We are here and proud,” Aragon said.
As the situation on campus continues to evolve Aragon will continue fighting for what students
need.“We’re going to keep fighting until we get what everyone needs to feel safe here. We need
supportive teachers, proper education in LGBTQ+ history and how to support people who are coming out.” Aragon said.
There is not only a need for the school to be supportive but for students to learn who they are and be proud of it. As Aragon stated, “If you’re having a hard time, Equality Club is a safe space and you shouldn’t be afraid of who you are, be proud of who you are. Live your truth.”