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Life in a Northern Town: Pt. II

sberndt4

Updated: Jul 5, 2024


Photo: Avant Garden Bookstore and Metta Coffee shop in downtown Anoka. We misfits would have loved to have had an oasis like this in the 80s!


Growing up in Anoka wasn't always easy for me. I was different. As a kid, I liked to read the newspaper and follow current events. I liked punk/alternative music. I liked acting in plays and musicals. I liked to wear clothes I found at garage sales. Being good at sports (in addition to being white and cisgender) was probably the reason I was spared a routine ass-kicking from various bullies in junior and senior high, yet the name calling, threats, and harassment were a constant throughout adolescence. Being different in any way would get you branded as a "freak" or "weirdo" but it also meant that you were a victim of rampant homophobia. In 8th grade I was called a faggot so much that I began to think it was my first name. I remember catching myself turning around to see who was addressing me when I heard it shouted in the hallway. The fear of being perceived as gay was terrifying as it extracted a huge social cost. Being ostracized and ridiculed eroded your self worth and diminished chances of acceptance. It also meant the potential of facing physical violence. It was bad, but I know I could never begin to imagine how bad it was for my peers who were actually LGBTQ+.


This intolerant and unsafe climate persisted long after I graduated. It finally reached a point where Anoka-area schools became so toxic that students began taking their own lives. Anoka made the national news and found itself the target of a federal lawsuit. Below are some links with background:





The Advocate article notes the "Neutrality Policy" at the heart of the problem:


That "staff, in the course of their professional duties, shall remain neutral on matters regarding sexual orientation including but not limited to student-led discussions." Teachers, now afraid that interceding in sexual orientation-related bullying could be seen as "un-neutral" and thus cost them their jobs, let comments, slurs, and assaults go unnoticed and undisciplined. Administrators told kids to ignore the bullying or to come up with snappy comebacks, ignoring the fact that any of this harassment was in any way related to sexual orientation.


Ultimately, students, families, and groups organized, fought back, and won. See this Slate article:



While there is still much to do, I am heartened by the courage of the young people and their families in Anoka, as well as the support from other individuals and groups. Even as recently as this April, the Anoka - Hennepin school board sought to torpedo the budget for the next school year unless equity efforts were abandoned.


But the students organized and pushed back:




Another example of hope and a shifting of attitudes was that Anoka had its first ever Pride Day event on June 8th. It would have been inconceivable that this could have occurred in the Anoka I grew up in. When I found out that this was happening, I knew I had to go. Here is my short video report from the festivities:




I'll post a book update sometime in July, once my manuscript has reached the next phase of the editing process. Thanks for reading/watching and for all the support!


Take care,

Scott





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