(7/12) “There were certain people in the building who weren’t happy about DiCo’s t
(7/12) “There were certain people in the building who weren’t happy about DiCo’s transition. They thought it was a distraction. When DiCo set up this after-school program for LGBT kids to come and talk, some people in the administration were like: ‘Hell no, not in the middle of Harlem.’ One of our assistant principals was a former deacon, and during a faculty meeting he mentioned ‘the homosexuality on the third floor.’ DiCo was the only gay person in the room. Even without all this extra stuff, DiCo’s transition would have been hard for anyone. He started walking around with a sad face all the time. But I never paid much attention, because I was so focused on myself. After Harvard I felt like I had something going. Next year I’d be old enough to be a captain, and our captains were getting full rides to Ivy League schools. I thought in two more years, that was going to be me. But this was also the year that Dr. Hodge retired, and things started to change at FDA. The debate team lost some of its funding. DiCo asked us to sell more chocolates. He was trying to get us to pick up the slack, but even he seemed less engaged. It’s not like he was saying ‘F these kids,’ or anything like that. But something was missing. DiCo had always been the kind of teacher who’d be enthusiastic at 6:30 AM. He was always giving us 150, but now he was giving us 90. And that wasn’t enough for me. I needed the world from DiCo. The moment he said: ‘I need a little bit more from you, I didn’t like it at all.’ One day we heard a rumor that a student had pushed DiCo down the stairs. DiCo never spoke to us about it, because he’s got this complex where he doesn’t want to see bad in anybody. But I’m pretty sure that’s when he made his decision. One afternoon he came into practice with his head down. He wasn’t looking anyone in the eye. Normally DiCo is so good with eye contact, so we knew something was up. He began to speak but he was stuttering. He looked like he was going to cry. I’m like: ‘Just say it DiCo, we can help you.’ I thought maybe someone had died or something. But then he cleared his throat, and said: ‘I’m leaving.’ And instantly I felt hate.” -- source link