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When Landon Nelson, now a sophomore from Annandale High School, made it public that he was gay, he learned something about the world that he’d never realized before. 

“You start to … see things that other people (don’t),” Landon said. “You see that maybe that person is struggling … you start looking at people and you start thinking, ‘Maybe I should talk to them, just ask them how their day’s going.’ It teaches you to start treating people how you want people to treat you when you felt down.”

Landon realized he was gay in seventh grade. But it took him awhile to tell his parents and then other people in his life. He was hesitant to tell others because of the ways people in Annandale discussed religion and homosexuality. His classmates often used “gay” as an insult in jokes. 

He spent time trying to guess how friends would react, worrying whether they’d treat him differently once they knew. That experience of keeping things quiet, trying to figure out who could be trusted to respond to him in kindness and respect, left a lasting impression. 

Landon said he is now constantly on the lookout for people who might be anxious, lonely or struggling and need a friend or just a kind word. 

“I'm at school … even just smiling or waving at people in the halls, it makes the day a lot better,” Landon said. “Since you never really know fully what someone is going through … just ask how the day is going or ask how their pet is or something like that. Make them feel like they're not alone.”

One thing that helped Landon before he came out, when he was afraid and worried about being judged, was a tiny placard with a rainbow flag that some of the teachers in his school put on their desks. It let him know that person would respond to him in kindness and respect, no matter his sexual orientation. 

When the school’s principal said the placards weren’t allowed because they were “political,” Landon felt he needed to do something. He met several times with school leaders to explain why he thought it was important to keep the placards.

When they refused to change the policy, he, together with others in his school’s gay-straight alliance planned a walkout. They reached out to local news stations, and held a protest outside their school building. 

Landon also worked on a redesign of the placards. He removed the words “safe space” from the placards and replaced them with the phrase “you can be yourself.” In September, the new placards were rolled out and teachers who want to can now display them in classrooms. 

Landon is proud of the changes at his school, but he thinks more needs to be done. He wants his school to teach the history of past movements for equality: the Civil Rights Movement and the women’s suffrage movement as a way to give students hope and inspiration. 

“It really helps those students who just feel alone to know that they have this whole history of leaders that will fight for them,” Landon said. “But it also works for those people have those negative views, seeing these people, and seeing how much they've worked. It sort of starts that seed in their brain that these people … are just like me.”

This story is part of a series produced with support from the Education Writers Association Reporting Fellowship program.

Social Issues

Conversations around race and racial justice

Elizabeth Shockman

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MPR News education reporter Elizabeth Shockman talked to eight Minnesota student activists about their work. In this series, MPR News introduces you to the students, their activism and how they're shaping the state.

Difference maker Landon Nelson: ‘Start treating people how you want people to treat you’

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