Launched in 2005, WellesleyWeston Magazine is a quarterly publication tailored to Wellesley and Weston residents and edited to enrich the experience of living in two of Massachusetts' most desirable communities.
Issue link: https://wellesleywestonmagazine.epubxp.com/i/92498
Becoming Visible are a lot of people who will accept you at school but the more vocal ones are the ones who won't," observes Kaat. "It makes it hard to dis- cuss the topics that we discuss here at WAGLY. " Like every town across the United States, Wellesley and Weston have their share of LGBT residents. WAGLY's existence gives encourage- ment to local gay and lesbian adults who can relate to the difficulties of growing up questioning their sexuality and the accompanying feelings of self-segregation. "Growing up, there is a lot of pressure to be seen as part of the group," says Weston resident Allan Singer. "So any of us who have grown up being targeted as being different, particularly according to gender norms and behaviors, need to be able to bear our anxiety and to claim our esteem for who we are." The people inter- viewed for this article universally pointed how the rocky boat of ado- It serves a purpose to have LGBT organization just so there can be a visible reference to the surrounding community…" lescence can be swamped by the additional feelings of sexual differ- ence. "Let's face it: I think junior high and high school can just stink," says Julie Palen, another Weston resident. "You are dealing with a whole age group who doesn't really know how to handle differences." Despite the recent validation that the LGBT community has received from Massachusetts with the passing of the Same Sex Marriage Act and anti-bullying legislation, the tough fact remains that LGBT kids are often victims of persecution and the target of very real and frightening abuse. "In the seventh grade, rumors were going around that I was gay and at the end of the school year, a couple of the kids thought it was a good idea to teach me a lesson at recess," says 88 WellesleyWeston Magazine | winter 2012/2013