Without a doubt, we are not in post-racial America. Questions over police brutality toward African Americans have been brought to the forefront of public discussion as thousands riot in Baltimore and Ferguson over the deaths of unarmed black men at the hands of policy, with many pointing out major flaws in our justice system that discriminate against African Americans. Nor are we in post-sexist America. Women, on average, make 77 cents for every dollar men make, and feminists cry out against rape culture and its devastating effects on young women.

I suppose we don’t live in an America where people of all sexual orientations are treated perfectly equally either, given that many states continue to hold firmly against the legalization of gay marriage, and recent laws passed in this very state enforced, at the very least symbolically if not actually, the idea that it is perfectly acceptable to discriminate against people on the basis of sexuality. On top of that, suicide is four times more common among LGBT teens than their straight peers and it is still legal in many states to fire someone based on their sexual orientation.

Is this creating a major state of panic, fear and oppression among black, female and gay students at Carmel High School?

I doubt it. I am a gay student at CHS, and, amazingly I feel no fear about being open about my sexuality. Am I insane? Shouldn’t I be terrified?

No, actually, I’m just sheltered. I go to safe, clean Carmel High School, a sparkling beacon of tolerance and intellect, filled with people far too open minded to practice discrimination.

I’ve read the news about the Indiana religious freedom law. I’ve seen the videos of evangelical pastors preaching hatred against gays, and heard the taunts that gays are perverts that will give you AIDS. I laugh at those people, as if they were parodies of themselves. In my mind, those people are not even in the same universe as I. They don’t affect my life, why should I care what they say and do? Many of us probably feel the same way about other vague, stereotypical agents of hate and discrimination, such as trigger-happy policemen or sexist, unruly frat boys. Whatever.

But those people exist in modern society, as rampantly and visibly as ever and no one remains sheltered for long. It can be difficult for us to comprehend the ugly role that bigotry plays in this country when we have not experienced it, but that doesn’t make such a thing any less real, or terrifying. Nor does it mean there is nothing the lucky people should do to support the unlucky. Many protestors in Baltimore held up signs that read, “You don’t have to be black to be outraged.” You don’t have to be discriminated against to be outraged about discrimination in any case of it.

Perhaps, one day, I will realize how much I take a place like Carmel for granted when I feel the icy wind of discrimination on my own skin. “Being gay is easy,” I’ve said to myself in the past, foolishly rolling my eyes at the notion of homophobia, an idea that seemed alien to me. But what do I know, when all I have ever experienced is love and acceptance? Now I realize that my reality is not everyone’s reality, not by a long shot.

So when the time comes to leave Carmel High School and journey out into the real world, remember the tolerance we enjoy here, not as a rare gift, but instead as the standard by which all segments of society must be judged. Have empathy for the discrimination that plagues others’ lives, even if it is absent in your own.

Carmel may be more of the exception than the rule, but let’s reverse that. Don’t tolerate anything less.

The views in this column do not necessarily reflect the views of the HiLite staff. Reach Grant Smith at [email protected].