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- Volume VI: In My Own Words 2016/2017
- Cheering for Change
Cheering for Change
Meade Akers
As a freshman in high school, my closest friends described me as opinionated and
dauntless. However, there were many times during my first year in high school where
my
courage was tested. At age 15 I had wavering ideas about my individual values and
beliefs, but I
was undoubtedly certain that gender roles and stereotypes did not belong in high school.
I was
able to identify gender stereotypes frequently at my high school. Typically, these
stereotypes
were unnoticeable to others and went unchallenged. It would have been deemed embarrassing
to
be the only boy who tries out for the school produc tion of Hairspray, or to have
a girl on the
wrestling team. These stereotypical expectations enhanced gender divided extracurriculars
and
discouraged anyone from challenging the status quo. The division by sex made me feel
extremely uncomfortable considering that a benefit of coed schooling is to diversify
classrooms,
school clubs, and organizations. My high school cheer team was one of the best in
the state, but
similar to most cheer teams, had lacked membership from any male student for nearly
four years.
Noticing discriminations like these authenticated to me the fact that my generation
reflects
negatively on participation in activities not typical with your sexual identity. With
great
determination, I decided to challenge the stereotype that cheerleading was an all
female sport by
trying out for high school cheer during the summer before my freshman year.
My decision to try out for my high school's cheer team was met with many positive
responses from my close friends. After making the team I quickly realized the role
a cheerleader
plays in the social climate of a high school. Cheerleaders primarily create excitement
across the student
body and become a source of school spirit at sporting events. I remember the complexity
this task imposed on me. I tried my best to prepare myself for the bullying that coincided
with
my participation in cheerleading. I believed that I was prepared for any bullying
I would
experience. Surprisingly after I made the freshmen football cheer team, I initially
experienced
only encouragement from the students at my school. I felt confident and proud in my
decision to
try out, and felt that cheerleading offered a "safe place" for me to be myself.
However, this positive encouragement quickly transformed into sexist remarks and
homophobic slander. I received many hateful comments and negative opinions regarding
my
place in cheerleading. My peers rarely discussed my participation in the sport, however,
upperclassmen would often practice vicious forms of bullying to enforce the idea that
I didn't
belong in cheerleading. I wish I had enough fingers to count how many times the football
players
refused to shake my hand at the end of the game, or the amount of times that I heard
the F word
screamed in my direction. The amount of times the away crowds chuckled during our
cheers, or
ignored us all together. I remember the embarrassment I felt after my face was scratched
off of
all the competition cheer posters that decorated the school hallways. It seemed that
my intention
to smash gender stereotypes had only sparked a flame for a school more divided than
ever.
I was faced with two choices. Giving up cheer meant giving up something I love, while
also giving in to the gender roles established by the student body. Giving up cheer
meant
relinquishing my passion in order to conform to the social normality. In contrast,
staying in
cheer meant submitting myself to continued bullying and embarrassment. Being that
football
cheer is a fall sport, and competitive cheer is a winter sport, I was tried with the
task of
reevaluating my decision to continue cheerleading. I decided to endure the bullying
and continue
cheering throughout the competition season. Being away from the Friday night lights
and
ensconced in private practices allowed me time to ease my mind from the pressure I
felt during
my first season of high school cheerleading. After one of my team's first major competitions,
I
began receiving admiration posts on social media, and even started getting noticed
in the
hallways for my team's success. With each week, I became more confident in my place
on the
team. Upperclassmen grew tired of the constant negative remarks directed towards me.
Many
students even began to express gratitude towards my presence on the team. The kindness
of one
person seemed to outweigh the hate of many. The admiration of one began a chain of
positivity
that was noticeable throughout the whole school. I felt accepted for choosing my own
path to
happiness and was ecstatic that my peers began to realize that gender bias does not
belong in
school activities.
I am well pleased with my decision to try out and continue high school cheerleading.
In
the following years my school experienced tremendous growth in demolishing gender
norms by
creating the WISE (Women-Informing- Serving-Empowering) club with active male and
female
participation. The gay-straight alliance organization at my school expanded to inform
students
and faculty of the importance of having gender diverse groups and clubs. It was the
work of
many people that built a gender divided educational system, but it was also the work
of many
who fought to break these ideas. Although my role may have been subtle, I believe
that I played
an important part in helping to create a better gender diversified schooling practice.
School
cheerleading offered me the opportunity to meet numerous male cheerleaders who experienced
similar situations in their own schools. I always share my message of the positive
growth
experienced personally, and encourage anyone to challenge gender discrimination in
schools by
practicing what makes them happy as an individual. It is my hope that schools across
the world
continue to abolish all divisions by sex until all education systems experience completely
equal
participation in school controlled clubs or organizations. Because of my situation,
I believe that
this feat is not a stretch of imagination, but actually quite attainable.