Willowcreek Middle School in Utah outed one of their students, a fourteen-year-old boy, as gay to his parents after he completed an assignment revealing his sexual orientation.
The school says that they told his parents because they were concerned for his safety and were trying to prevent bullying. Every time there is a safety problem with a student, they tell their parents. Besides, as a spokesperson for the school district said, "He chose to make his sexuality known".
No one deserves to be outed no matter what the circumstances are. Coming out is a very personal thing, and should be done on a person's own time and terms. Parents can be told about safety or bullying concerns without being told about their child's sexual orientation.
Tell Willowcreek Middle School that this is unacceptable, and to apologize to the student for forcing him to come out to his parents.
Dear Willowcreek Middle School,
Coming out as an LGBT individual is a very hard process. With a lot of the world still being very intolerant of the LGBT community, coming out takes a lot of courage. It should only be done when the person coming out feels it is right to do so.
You recently outed a student because of safety and bulling concerns. It would have been appropriate to tell his parents about the concerns without revealing his sexual orientation against his wishes.
We urge you to apologize to the student for forcing him to come out of the closet and make sure this is not done again.
[Your comments here.]
Sincerely,
[Your name here.]
