The Fight (9 page)

Lopez eyed Zoe's poster like she wanted to say something about it.

“Of course any of you can go to this rally on your own, with your parents,” she said smoothly. “I'm not sure as a school-related…. I don't think it's a topic that is of great concern to many people your age. I don't think many are thinking about
marriage
yet!” She laughed loudly.

Zoe's mouth dropped open. Then she narrowed her eyes. “Gosh,” she said sarcastically, “I guess when you were our age it wouldn't have bothered you at all to know that you might never be able to get married in the same way as everyone else.”

Lopez flushed and looked angry.

“I'm going if anyone needs a ride,” said Zoe, turning back to her poster. She drew two little stick girls with their arms around each other.

“Going to what?” Tyler asked as he breezed in with big sheets of paper. “Oh, the rally? I'm getting a ride from June, so I'll see you there.”

“June?” I whipped my head around fast.

“Yeah, June with the super long hair, you know? Her mom's a lesbo.” Zoe shot him a look. “What? We need to take back the language, make it ours,” said Tyler. He tapped Zoe's poster. “See, like ‘queer'—used to be an insult. Go ahead, call me a—”

“Let's try to keep our language appropriate for school,” interrupted Lopez. “Some people find those terms offensive.” Then she buried her nose in paperwork and barely looked up when we went to hang up the posters in the halls.

I

told Zoe I wanted to go to the rally. And I decided I had to mention it to my friends. None of them said they wanted to come, but they seemed to have accepted that this was my
thing
now.

We did see Tyler and June at the rally for a minute. June looked a little surprised to see me. Then we got separated in the crowd. The rally was exciting—I'd never been to anything like that. Zoe and I were both hoarse from screaming afterward.

June came up to me on Monday at my locker. My heart pounded like always around her.

“Tyler said you went to that school board meeting?” she said. I nodded. “Did you hear that Luke's parents are suing the district about the policy?”

So that's how everything changed.

Luke's parents heard about the school board meeting when parents and kids tried to explain how bad it was. They took that and Luke's experiences and went to one of those big organizations that sue when people's rights aren't being protected.

Because I had never heard of this (or paid attention, more likely), Matteo tried to explain to me how important these groups are. I guess they're pretty important.

By the GSA meeting later in the week, Zoe had lots more details. There were a few new kids so we started with introductions. Lopez seemed ready to make some other “ice breaker” comment or speech, but Zoe jumped in.

“I have really important news,” she said, grinning. “Luke—he was the last kid in the district who killed himself—his parents are part of a lawsuit against the district. Along with Lydia Mendoza's parents. The lawsuit says that the policy makes teachers discriminate against kids for their sexual orientation and allows violence to happen.”

Zoe passed around the minutes from the meeting with the policy highlighted.

“Staff shall remain unbiased
,” I read again. How weird that something so simple could cause so much pain. It didn't even sound evil.

“So they're going to have a trial?” one of the new kids asked. I was picturing that too.

“No,” Zoe said, “the district is already trying to settle. Shell out some money to make it stop. But they also won't admit the policy is wrong or causing all these problems.” She shook her head. “
Problems
doesn't seem like the right word when kids are being tortured and killing themselves.”

“
Torture
's a good word,” said Nessa quietly. “Sometimes I feel like a prisoner in the torture chamber called school. Only no one touches me—they just use words.”

“And how does that make you feel?” asked Lopez. Everyone ignored her. We gave Nessa a group hug.

“Sounds like you should be suing the district,” said Tyler.

“Maybe,” said Nessa and bit her lip.

I

tried to keep an eye out for Nessa after that. She was one of those little freshman girls whom you normally didn't notice as they scurried past. A week later I saw Zoe chatting with her by her locker. Zoe waved me over.

“Guess what?! She did it. She really did! Nessa has some balls—I mean ovaries!” Zoe jumped up and down.

“Whaaat?” I said.

“I joined the lawsuit,” Nessa said, grinning. “I thought, Zoe's right, it helps to do something to fight back. So I looked up their number and I called Luke's parents at work and they told me more about it and then they talked to my parents.” That was the most I'd ever heard her say.

“And your parents?” I asked.

“Well, they kind of knew some of what was going on. And after talking to Luke's parents … I mean, it kind of scared them. They're not bad. I just hadn't told them because I wasn't sure if they could handle it. They had a kind of ‘don't ask, don't tell' attitude.”

“But we know what happened to DADT!” Zoe crowed, pulling out her phone and flashing at us the famous picture of the navy woman kissing her girlfriend. Nessa grinned again and flipped open her locker to show us the same picture torn out of a magazine and taped inside her door.

At the next GSA meeting, Zoe had an update.

“The school board still says the policy is fine, but it's on the agenda to be discussed at the next meeting. The lawyers said that the district must be changing the language. Or maybe getting rid of it! I'm going—does anyone else want to come?”

“It's a
school
board meeting,” said Zoe, looking at Lopez. “We should definitely be able to go as a GSA, not just on our own. And put it on the morning announcements so other people can come with us. It's
educational
.”

We all held our breath. Lopez looked defeated. She shrugged and said “OK.”

T

he meeting was packed. Nessa sat up front with the lawyers and the Mendozas and Luke's parents.

Everyone was impatient as the school board moved through all the boring stuff in the beginning. Then, “the school board proposes new language for the curriculum policy addressing sexual orientation. The board proposes that the policy now read: ‘Teachers and staff shall not share their personal opinions about inflammatory topics in the course of their school-related duties.' Now we have a very short time for discussion.”

Mrs. Walton was the first to talk. “Making any changes to this policy at all is just giving in to the gay activists in our schools. It encourages them to continue to try to recruit our children using these homosexual clubs,” she said.

I wondered what reality she was living in. Did she even know what a GSA was?

Then one of the lawyers for our side spoke next. “Obviously ‘inflammatory topics' means anything having to do with GLBT people. This policy discourages any classroom discussion about history, literature, science, current events, or any other relevant lessons involving GLBT people. The policy tells all students that GLBT people are too disgusting to be talked about inside the school walls. How do you think that affects GLBT students? Unfortunately, we've already seen the results,” he said, gesturing to the Mendozas and Lydia's parents.

It was quiet for a moment, and then someone began to slowly clap.

“Discussion closed,” the secretary snapped into the microphone. “Fifteen-minute recess for the board to discuss.”

The school board all got up and went out another door. The room buzzed. Then they were back.

“Slightly different language is suggested,” said the secretary. She read, “Teachers will not try to convince students to agree or disagree with any particular opinion with respect to these issues. When discussing these issues, district staff will uphold the dignity and self-worth of all students, regardless of their race, color, creed, religion, national origin, sex/gender, disability, status with regard to public assistance, sexual orientation, or age.”

Was that better? I wondered. It sounded a little better.

“Further decisions about the policy will be announced at a future meeting,” another school board member said. And then it was over.

“H

ow was it?” my mom asked when I got home. “Sorry I wasn't able to go.”

I filled her in.

“You seem sad,” she said. “But look how far things have come. It may take a while with a lawsuit dragging out, but something's definitely going to happen.”

I shrugged. “I know…. It's just that it doesn't feel like we made anything change. It's all the lawyers threatening them. The school board blew us off the first time. And our GSA kind of sucks because of Ms. Lopez.”

“Yes, but without all of you speaking up, Luke's parents might not have known that this was happening everywhere to other kids. You set something in motion. I'm proud of you,” Mom said.

My eyes filled with tears. I still wasn't sure how my parents felt about all this. Sometimes I didn't know how I felt either.

“Would you guys … I mean, I know you love me no matter what, but what if I were gay or something?” I asked.

My mom looked at me over her reading glasses and elbowed my dad who was sitting next to her on the couch. “Kiko, our daughter is talking to us. Turn off the TV.”

“Hmm?” said Papi as he held out the remote to zap the TV.

“Of course we would always love you,” Mom said. “Nothing could change that.”

“Nada, nada, nada,” said Papi, holding out his arms to me. He hugged me close. I decided just to leave it there and snuggle in against him.