A local organization is speaking out after LGBTQIA+ students at a Northern Virginia school were targeted in an Instagram account that “outed, attacked and used slurs” against them, the organization said.
According to the Pride Liberation Project, children from the LGBTQIA+ community at Lake Braddock Secondary School in Fairfax County, Virginia, were harassed after pictures of them, allegedly taken inside the campus and without their knowledge, were published to social media.
“[It's] disgusting, stressful, anxiety-provoking, hateful, unwelcoming and really exhausting, because no student wants to spend their time dealing with this situation,” Aaryan Rawal, lead organizer for the Pride Liberation Project, said.
In a message to parents, Principal Daniel Smith said the school was "able to work with our cybersecurity team to have the account shut down and we have identified the student responsible. Appropriate disciplinary action will be taken in accordance with the FCPS Students Rights and Responsibilities.”
The situation, however, continues to worry community leaders and activists.
“It is incredible that these things are happening in 2022, right? The violence never ends against our community, and especially our youth. And the school must protect these students more, because they are at risk of violence and all this,” Alexa Rodriguez, director of the Trans-Latinx DMV, said.
The concerning posts were published as the LGBTQIA+ community struggles in the face of certain legislation, such as a Florida measure known as the “Don’t Say Gay” bill, which prohibits the discussion of sexual orientation or gender identity within classrooms in elementary schools.
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“I, Tania Córdova… was that child. Children will not be able to express themselves at home or at school, because they will already be experiencing discrimination and oppression of not fulfilling themselves as human beings,” Tania Córdova, the director of Casa Ruby's legal services program, said.
Community activists are asking the superintendent and county leaders to condemn the incident and reaffirm their commitment to protecting the students in question. They also say that LGBTQIA+ youth should be given the necessary access to mental health services and that the incident should be investigated.
