Poland just had its first gay inclusive prom!
A new video went up a couple days ago showing some Polish teens preparing for Prom. They dressed up, they tied their ties, applied makeup, and goofed off with friends.
But it wasn’t all fun and games. There were some truly touching moments as well. Because when the teens got to their prom, they were met with a crowd of people ready to honor them and cheer for them.
The Bednarska High School in Warsaw recently had its first Equality Prom Dance, according to Towleroad. The event was made to honor same-sex couples and LGBTQ students who are in their senior year.
“For many of these kids–this is the first time they feel seen, whereas often, to show their disapproval and refusal to conform to heteronormative events–leads to them simply not showing up. And that then often leaves them alone and acerbates their depression–so we started thinking–how could we change their perception of the school. And we invited the whole student body to have a voice and open debate in this matter with our students is grounded in the values and tradition of our school,” said Wanda Łuczak, Headmistress at Bednarska to Towleroad.
“For years we have aimed to treat our students as partners in discussions, shape their attitude towards hatred and social exclusion and most importantly – make sure they feel safe and teach them to respect human dignity. Hence, when they asked us to help them support LGBTQ people, we, as the authority of the school, knew we should help them. We hope that this gesture will give LGBTQ students courage and make them feel safe and accepted and will widen the understanding for their dilemmas,” Łuczak added.
70 percent of Polish youth who identify as LGBTQ express having depression and suicidal thoughts. In order to help lower this number, the Bednarska school is trying to respect and celebrate its LGBTQ students. We hope other schools are taking note.
h/t: Towleroad
