By Dani Langevin – Septmber, 2019 I have three grown children. My oldest, a daughter, recently gave birth to my first grandchild, a boy. How lucky he is to be a white male born into this world. At no time will he be discriminated against because he is white or male. He will not be […]
By: Dani Langevin – May, 2018 On April 26, Methuen High School students observed a Day of Silence and have been for a number of years. A Day of Silence is a national event bringing awareness to the silencing effects of anti-LGBTQ+ name-calling, bullying and harassment in schools. We silence ourselves to pay tribute to […]
By: Dani Langevin – March, 2018 I wrote this column in The Valley Patriot five years ago and nothing has changed. The talk has been cheap and the rhetoric ridiculous. Change needs to happen or there will be no one left to make it. In 1927, fifty-five year old Andrew Kehoe, school board treasurer in […]
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 – June, 2017 This past school year I’ve had the pleasure of enjoying a number of wonderful experiences. It was my first year teaching at Methuen High School, I won over a large group of students who were hell bent at the beginning of the year on hating me, and was co-adviser […]
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. […]
The Valley Patriot newspaper has announced the nominees for the 2017 Valley Patriot BASH Awards. Winners will be announced at The Valley Patriot BASH, held on March 24th, at the Firefighter’s Relief In, at 6pm. GET TICKETS HERE *VALLEY PATRIOT 1ST AMENDMENT PUBLIC SERVICE AWARD Each year this award is given to 2 individuals […]
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 […]