A progressive high-school in Portland, Oregon has revealed that a gender neutral bathroom has been vandalised with anti-gay graffiti.
The message read: “The fagots (sic) who use this restroom are going to burn in hell. Your gay ass is gonna get shot.”
Grant High School student Callie Quinn-Ward wrote on Facebook that she was “disgusted that a classmate of mine would write this.”
“These restrooms are one of the only places where trans, non-binary and queer students have previously been able to feel safe from the pervasive anti-LGBTQ sentiment within the high school.
“How are other queer students and I supposed to go to class knowing that the person sitting by us may think that we would be better off dead?”
Quinn-Ward said that while Grant is considered progressive by the school administration, the graffiti is not an isolated incident.
"Almost everyday I and others hear homophobic slurs as we go about our daily routine," Quinn-Ward added.
Principal Carol Campbell told the that the school was investigating the matter internally and that she is "meeting with any students who may feel threatened by this and re-assuring them that they are welcome at Grant”.
Portland Public Schools Interim Superintendent Bob McKean sent a letter just days before the graffiti appeared, reassuring students and their families that they were committed to protecting transgender students despite recent directions implemented at a .
"We each have a role in ensuring that all students, including those who are transgender, can learn and succeed in school without fear of bullying, harassment or isolation," McKean wrote.
"If you suspect or witness any behaviour that runs counter to our values of equity and inclusion for all, please report it immediately to a school leader or to the central office."
