Ok, didn't we just go through this with Michigan? Following the failed lead of Michigan, Tennessee has a proposed bill that would make it ok to bully gay teens. Or, as they self-righteously worded it: they are more interested in protecting "...those expressing religious, philosophical, or political beliefs..." than they are in protecting gay teens. Or, as they preposterously put it, they really DO want to protect kids from bullying, but they don't want to "...create special classes of people who are more important than others." These are ELECTED officials!! Officials that We The People put into office by virtue of our votes.
I would hope that every parent of lgbt teens in Tennessee will band together and, not only defeat this proposed bill before it even gets started, start a grass root movement to get the person(s) responsible for even introducing such incredibly hateful, and potentially harmful, legislation in the first place.
Once again, we're forced to look reality squarely in the eyes and acknowledge that the change that's needed starts with the adults. It's an embarrassment to our "developed", "civilized" society that we have elected officials who clearly, honestly believe that it is absolutely alright for your lgbt kids to be bullied as long as the bully is doing it in the name of God. I don't know about you, but it scares me in a deep place that there are people of power who believe this is a right and righteous decision.
Thank God (the loving God, that is) that there's a huge army in place to combat madness such as this. Collectively, we were able to get a similarly worded bill reworded in Michigan. Now, we must focus our attention to Tennessee. Whatever it takes, we have to make sure that this bill never even reaches the floor. The Jacob Rogers' of Tennessee are counting on us.
What these "people" don't seem to understand is that bullying is not just on GLBT - anyone, anywhere, can be bullied for "being different" or just for no reason at all. Bullying is WRONG, period, no matter who it's directed towards.
ReplyDeleteIn the middle of my third grade my family moved from the south to "out west" (aka way north). By the end of the year, I was the daily target for every kid in my class. I was tormented, taunted, you name it. I suppose I was lucky in that I was never physically attacked (one close call, tho), but I remember walking to school, the weight of an anvil on my chest, wishing I could be headed anywhere in the world but to school. And I was thinking, "If I was a grownup, I think they'd call this depression, but that's silly, cuz kids don't get depressed." (shows what I knew, eh?). Classic, chronic depression is what I was living then.
Eventually, I did grow into Middle School (Junior High it was called then - yes, that long ago), and on into an adult life. Yes, it has gotten better. A lot, actually.
Sorry for that ramble. The point is, bullying is wrong, period.
Bullying is making someone else smaller just so you can feel "bigger" or "bigger than." Whether it's someone that "talks funny" or a GLBT someone, it doesn't matter, it's WRONG.
And for the record, yes, "it" does get better. Maybe not today, maybe not even next week, but it Will Get Better. The hard part is to tough it out until it does.
All the best with this blog.
NC
aSurvivor: I totally agree with you. This isn't ONLY an LGBT issue. Bullying affects any and everyone. And, to be sure, I acknowledge all incidences of bullying and bullycide in my blog. However, I focus on LGBT teens and community because I'm part of that community.
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