#100possiblesongs 30: “Don’t Encourage The Children”

I fell right off the poetry wagon this week so here’s a slightly wonky sonnet to get me back into it.

I grew up under Section 28

At school, there were some things you could not say.

And though I learned the lingo far too late

That law did not stop me from being gay.

It stopped me and my peers from being taught

That LGBT people were around

It made it difficult to find support

But still, in spite of that, support I found.

This week I heard about a school with plans

To make sure that the staff will not respect

The names or pronouns of kids who are trans

Because of the “encouraging” effects.

Queer children will exist in spite of you.

Encourage them: with kids, that’s what you DO!