By: Dani Langevin – Nov.2017 In April and June of 2018, the GSA Regional Summit will be coming to Methuen High. It is a safe schools program for LGBTQ students that is, “A joint initiative between Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (ESE) and the Massachusetts Commission of LGBTQ Youth. Founded in 1993 in […]
By: Dani Langevin – August, 2017 In June of 2010, in the second column I had ever written for the Valley Patriot, I wrote about what “Don’t ask, don’t tell” cost the military. It read, “It is estimated that there are almost 70,000 homosexuals serving in every branch of the military. Since 1993, over 13,500 […]
By: Dani Langevin – July, 2017 Language, as do creation stories, can define us singularly and collectively. Every culture has its own language and creation stories or stories to explain why things exist. In my opinion, creation stories and those that explain certain human behavior can reveal a great deal about a culture and/or time period. […]
By: Dani Langevin – Feb. 2017 Take a good look at the pictures above. When these children go to school or are out in public, what bathroom should they each use? The picture on the left is that of a young trans boy who is now a girl. […]
By: Dani Langevin – Feb. 2017 When I came out 23 years ago, I was incredibly insecure, nervous almost to the point of paralysis, and petrified to enter into a community I knew little to nothing about. How would I define myself as a lesbian? Will I fit in? Will I find someone? Who will […]
By: Dani Langevin – January, 2017 There has been a lot of focus on celebrity deaths over the past year, especially in the past few weeks where 2016 seemed hell bent on shocking us all with a number of rapid losses. Instead of focusing on the past year’s losses, I thought I’d focus on some […]
By: Dani Langevin – Dec. 2016 I am blissfully now teaching sophomore U.S. History at the newly and beautifully renovated Methuen High School and loving it. I am also the co-advisor for the Gay Straight Alliance (GSA). My colleague, Brendan Cripps, and I have the privilege to meet with an incredibly vibrant, creative, and eclectic […]
By: Dani Langevin – Nov. 2016 Barney Frank once said, “Conservatives believe that from the standpoint of the federal government, life begins at conception and ends at birth.” How true this is. I haven’t met a conservative yet that is not pro-life and anti-death penalty. Isn’t that thought process counter-intuitive? I’ve asked some of my […]
By: Dani Langevin – Oct. 2016 What is patriotism today? From what I can see it is fear, bigotry and ignorance. This came to my attention when someone on Facebook, in a discussion about the Muslim Mosque possibly being erected at the 9/11 site, said, “Can anyone imagine AMERICANS defending a Nazi Hitler headquarters in […]
By: Dani Langevin – Sept. 2016 Last month, Tom Duggan posted a comment asking people if they supported merit pay for teachers and the claws came out. I’ve been an educator for my entire adult life and I have never come face to face with anyone who expressed disdain for my field. I know few […]
By: Dani Langevin – July, 2016 There is no doubt that the shooting at the Pulse dance club in Orlando is a tragedy. It is an act of hate, an act of homophobia, and an act of terrorism. I am saddened and sickened by it. I am also angry, yes at the shooter, but also […]
By: Dani Langevin – June, 2016 There’s a great deal of attention on North Carolina since it passed a law in March that states transgendered people must use the bathroom for the sex they were assigned at birth. As a result, the state has had numerous celebrities back out of commitments and companies refusing to […]
By: Dani Langevi – April, 2016 I was at a wedding shower the other day sitting with several family members. The evening before when I couldn’t sleep I realized that all four nieces on my side of the family have degrees in some form of social work. At the table, was one of those nieces […]
By: Dani Langevin – March, 2016 On Saturday, February 27, my sister, niece and I met at my brother’s apartment and within three hours dismantled the life that he had assembled for 56 years. It was a vulgar and heartbreaking task. Eleven days earlier we had lost Rob to his battle with alcohol. His disease, […]
By: Dani Langevin – Feb. 2016 Apparently my December column created quite a stir. I discovered that my administration received some unsolicited phone calls. Why wouldn’t those people contact me? Clearly I am the author of my columns, not my administration. My email is attached to every column I write. Feel free to contact me, […]