When I was a student at James Campbell High School from 2006 to 2010, I was figuring out my own identity as a gay man. It was difficult. It was common to hear homophobic slurs on campus, even among friends. As a student, I was silent and allowed myself to be constantly oppressed by the words of my peers.

I didn’t have a safe place to go.

Even as I became more confident with myself, many of my peers still felt uncomfortable being around someone who was gay. Some of my peers cited religion, while some of my more masculine peers feared that I would “fall in love with them.”

In college, I decided to not explore my sexual identity. Instead, I focused on other areas of social justice work, which led me to join Teach For America-Hawaii, an organization working toward educational equity in high-need public schools.

After I was hired to teach at my alma mater, Campbell High School, my emotions ranged from excitement to worry as I realized that I would return to the campus where I had internalized the oppression of my own identity. It was this fear that sparked the fire to confront my inner demons head on and not allow other students to internalize the oppression I’d felt from being in the LGBTQ community.

As a teacher, one of my goals was to help students within the LGBTQ community by encouraging them to explore their identity, as well as providing them with a place to feel safe and heard.

When I returned to Campbell, I was pleased that a Gay Straight Alliance (GSA) club now existed, and I immediately saw the potential of this group. After a year of observing, I had the opportunity to become one of the club’s advisers. We made efforts to improve visibility in the school community by creating the first inclusive school shirt with “LGTBQ” on the back. We also changed our name to “Rainbow Sabers” to accommodate all sexual preferences and identities. The changes positioned the GSA not only as a social club, but also an advocacy club. We are currently working together to propose Campbell’s first gender-inclusive bathroom and teacher trainings to make classrooms more LGBTQ inclusive.

With marriage equality and transgender inclusive initiatives gaining national prominence, our club has the opportunity to help Campbell meet the changing social climate. Teach For America-Hawaii has always encouraged me to seek transformational change, and I believe we must jump on this opportunity to raise student voices.

How powerful would it be if all teachers were to change the gender pronouns in their syllabus to not just he and she, but they and zi? What must happen for our campus to feel comfortable in opening a bathroom for all gender identities to use? These are questions I ask my students daily in order for them to understand the thoughtfulness that goes behind every decision and proposal to make our campus more inclusive.

We have encountered some homophobia and pushback in our community, yet the voices of our LGBTQ youth are more powerful than they have ever been. As a coalition, we can begin to change the outlook of our school.

In 2010, as a student, I was uncomfortable mentioning my sexuality in a public space. Now, I see students in the LGBTQ community walking around holding hands, and students talking to one another openly about their sexual identities. My hope is for students to continue to use their voices as tools for change in our community and open others to the beauty of difference and diversity.

Lord Ryan Lizardo is a 2014 Teach For America alumnus teaching in Ewa Beach at James Campbell High School, his alma mater.