The academic year ends in June with many celebratory events of students’ academic and extracurricular achievements. This month is a special moment in time where students gather together to take stock of their culminated efforts, 记忆了, 激动人心的下一步. 横跨五个区, 随着校园为毕业典礼搭建舞台, 拥抱温暖的天气, New York City is also preparing rainbow banners, hosting special drag balls and parades—all colorful evidence of the city’s changes since Stonewall in 1969. 六月是骄傲月, which celebrates the historical accomplishments toward progress, 美, 以及LGBTQ+社区的韧性.

保利代表在博彩网站排名骄傲游行 

在低年级，我是低年级的校长 Francis Yasharian P ' 36 organized another year of Poly’s participation in the Brooklyn Pride Parade among other classroom and schoolwide learning. 保利家庭, 教师, 工作人员, and friends marched together in celebration of love, 在一起, 表达的多样性. 在协调努力中, the 中学 and 上学校 offered assemblies led and organized by affinity and alliance groups and their 教师 advisors. 

MS大会讨论安全与包容

The 中学 assembly’s theme was “reflect, 授权, 团结起来,” beginning with a student-led musical performance of “Riptide” by Vance Joy. The audience also learned from student testimonials on the meanings of LGBTQ+ flags and had student-facilitated discussions on gender expression. They also discussed tips on how to make Poly a better, 为所有人提供更安全的地方, especially our LGBTQ+ students and community members. 在演讲中, students also shared that according to The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), 2024 is on track to become the second year in a row with the highest number of anti-trans bills and hate crimes on record. 根据 translegislation.com, 617 anti-trans bills that “seek to block trans people from receiving basic healthcare, 教育, 法律认可, and the right to publicly exist” have been introduced across 43 states in the country. 

客座演讲嘉宾斯凯勒Bailar

During 上学校’s Pride Assembly on June 10, our GSA (Gay-Straight Alliance) and QBIPOC (Queer Black, 土著, and People of Color) affinity and alliance student groups brought attention to one of these 617 bills, the ban of transgender youth participation in sports. They created an environment where Poly students could learn from the stories of personal experience, and ask questions from hopefully a more humanized place where harmful stigmas can begin to shatter. In the Memorial Chapel, students gathered for keynote speaker 斯凯勒Bailar, an internationally-recognized inspirational speaker and bestselling author of “He/She/They: How We Talk 博彩网站排名 Gender and Why It Matters” who is dedicated in his work to trans inclusion, body acceptance, and mental health. 

大会期间, 拜拉尔的主题演讲充满了幽默, creating intentional moments of connection with students and 教师. He spoke of his childhood filled with sports, outdoor play, and memories of a close-knit family. 他分享了自己年轻时的照片. 他小时候留着闪闪发光的莫霍克发型的照片, a baby smiling with dark hair and a bright smile, 宏伟的华盛顿特区.C. high school building, and inviting, blue swimming pools, illustrated his life narrative. 

Bailar told a complex story about how freedom to authentically express one’s gender identity and explore a love for sports in the safety of a supportive family cemented a childhood of strong foundation, but in high school faced major declines in mental health. Still, his achievements in swimming led to offers from Ivy League institutions like Harvard. Struggles with body image and self-esteem were intensified by pressures he received from classmates and others to conform to their expectations of how he should look and present in his gender.

性别二元

性别二元，由 大英百科全书, is a “system that classifies sex and gender into a pair of opposites, 男人或女人, 通常受文化影响, 宗教, 或者其他社会压力.” It is a shared experience across people of all genders that the gender binary can be restrictive in its expectations for how people are expected to dress, 行为, 根据他们的性别来判断. 和很多同学一样, Bailar found his passion very young and committed countless hours to training to become exceptional in his craft. Bailar’s swimming career has been decorated with notable accomplishments from as early as age seven.

值得铭记的教训

作为一个榜样, Bailar imparted a valuable lesson to our students: you do not have to neglect your mental health, present yourself in an inauthentic manner for approval of the larger group, 或者优先考虑你的目标而不是你的需求. 经过间隔年的治疗, which put at risk an offer to swim on the women’s swim team at one of the most elite 教育al institutions in the country, Bailar made the choice to stay true to his healing. 在一个前所未有的决定中, Bailar转变, 回到他为哈佛大学游泳的承诺, and became the first openly transgender athlete to compete in any sport on an NCAA Division 1 men’s team. 

Often, it is a difficult decision to ask for help. 但是这样做的时候, it may be considered an investment in one’s personal growth that ultimately allows one to become a more well-rounded individual more equipped to en行为 positive change. Poly is grateful to Bailar for visiting us and sharing his journey. Stories like his resonate because they offer personal perspectives and nurture a cycle of support and inclusion that advances our community forward.