A day in the life of a queer-affirming school in suburban Alabama
The following is an excerpt from the new book American Teenager: How Trans Kids Are Surviving Hate and Finding Joy in a Turbulent Era by Nico Lang, out today via Abrams Press.A post shared by Nico Lang (@queernewsdaily)As he lurches toward me, step by ponderous step, Rhydian tries his hardest not to laugh, his smile breaking a little more as he gets closer.
In the classroom around him, Rhydian’s peers perform the same giggle-inducing task, maintaining strict eye contact as they march on the tips of their shoes.
The endeavor is transparently silly, but Rhydian’s professor, Mr. Evans, says it serves a purpose: to make his pupils comfortable sharing personal space with one another, to teach them how to be part of a community.
His goal is to see how close the students can get, whether they can be vulnerable enough to stand within inches of their classmates.
