Everything isn't always doom and gloom. Don't get me wrong: there is so much of it going on all around us that it's sometimes hard to keep up with it all. It's good, though, every once in a while to point out some of the good and positive things that are going on within the LGBT community. And, within the community, there truly are a lot of good people doing some great things. I can't say enough about "Kel", the founder of Wipeout Homophobia on Facebook and the work he's done and continues to do, just to name one.
In the U.K., there's currently a project going on that will help save some young, LGBT lives. It's called The L Project. What they're doing is bringing together the best of the best lesbian musicians to record a record to be released February 11th. Now, stop reading for a minute so you can go write that date on your calendar...... Done? Ok, the single, "It Does Get Better", sends the positive message to LGBT teens that, for as dark and bleak as things may seem now, things truly do and will get better. That's a message that sorely needs to be heard by our LGBT youth at this point in time.
The goal for Georgey Payne and The L Project is to raise awareness while also raising money for charities that work to prevent bullying against LGBT teens. The best part of this is everyone is donating their time, their energy, and most of all, their talents. All the monies earned by this single will go to those charities that will benefit LGBT teens! That's terrific!
Now, we all have to do our part. That means that everyone needs to check out The L Project and, on February 11th, buy their single, "It Does Get Better". Let's all band together and show our LGBT youth that they have an army of support behind them, that things really will get better for them if they just hold on. But, they need something to hold on to. That something is hope.
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Petitions to STOP Tennessee Lawmakers from Victimizing the LGBT Community
I read yet another heartbreaking article about Phillip Parker and the abuse he endured. I cried. It went as far as the church, a pastor, telling him to pray the demons out of him so that he could be straight. Yes. In Tennessee, being gay is demonic. How many more lives will be lost to this sickness that's being passed off as Tennessee law? How many more LGBT teens will be cornered into suicide as the bigoted, myopic lawmakers continue to endorse and pass legislation that sanctions their abuse, prevents teachers to intervene in the abuse, and completely demonize their existence?
There are petitions already in place to force their hands. There is power in numbers. Here are three petitions that NEED to be signed and then massively circulated. There needs to be an overwhelming number of names on these petitions so that we can show them that we will no longer tolerate their intolerance. Reversing, or stopping, these bills will work towards providing protection for the LGBT youth of Tennessee as well as stripping away the power to freely discriminate against the LGBT community, in general.
This petition is to force the Tennessee lawmakers to eliminate the language in the anti-bullying bill that would allow for the bullying of LGBT citizens, teens in particular, as long as it's done for religious, philosophical, or political beliefs. This is a very crucial petition. Sign and share. And, share.
This petition strips away the insanely myopic and bigoted "Don't Say Gay" bill. Without that bill in place, Phillip Parker may still be alive today. The teachers who wanted to help would've been able to do so without breaking the law. Understand: it is illegal for teachers to intervene if an LGBT teen is being abused; it's illegal for counselors to counsel them! Sign and share. And, share. And, encourage others to share.
This petition is to help protect other LGBT teens in Cheatham County, where Jacob Rogers committed suicide in December. The rules MUST be changed; the laws MUST be reversed. There has to be stronger policies in place to protect the LGBT teens going to school in Tennessee. And, it's up to all of us, concerned citizens, to push for change. The lawmakers there have already shown that they'd rather see them kill themselves off. Zero tolerance!
There are petitions already in place to force their hands. There is power in numbers. Here are three petitions that NEED to be signed and then massively circulated. There needs to be an overwhelming number of names on these petitions so that we can show them that we will no longer tolerate their intolerance. Reversing, or stopping, these bills will work towards providing protection for the LGBT youth of Tennessee as well as stripping away the power to freely discriminate against the LGBT community, in general.
This petition is to force the Tennessee lawmakers to eliminate the language in the anti-bullying bill that would allow for the bullying of LGBT citizens, teens in particular, as long as it's done for religious, philosophical, or political beliefs. This is a very crucial petition. Sign and share. And, share.
This petition strips away the insanely myopic and bigoted "Don't Say Gay" bill. Without that bill in place, Phillip Parker may still be alive today. The teachers who wanted to help would've been able to do so without breaking the law. Understand: it is illegal for teachers to intervene if an LGBT teen is being abused; it's illegal for counselors to counsel them! Sign and share. And, share. And, encourage others to share.
This petition is to help protect other LGBT teens in Cheatham County, where Jacob Rogers committed suicide in December. The rules MUST be changed; the laws MUST be reversed. There has to be stronger policies in place to protect the LGBT teens going to school in Tennessee. And, it's up to all of us, concerned citizens, to push for change. The lawmakers there have already shown that they'd rather see them kill themselves off. Zero tolerance!
Phillip Parker and the Tennessee Legislation
The more I read about Phillip Parker, the 14-year-old LGBT youth who commited suicide in Tennessee Friday, the angrier I get. According to several different stories, the bullying had been going on for a long period of time. His family was overwhelmed with information about the verbal, emotional, and physical abuse he endured over the weekend when it was, sadly, too late. However, the report is that several of his friends did, in fact, go to teachers at Gordonsville High School to tell what was happening to him, and no one did anything. No interventions. No calls to the family. Nothing. No one did anything!!!! Heads need to roll. Teachers, the principle, the whole school system needs to be held accountable. This is criminal neglect if nothing else. The ones responsible for the abuse also need to be sought out and punished severely. There are people there who know exactly who's responsible for it. They have already gone forward with it to the school staff. They need to go public with it, as in to the police. Of course, none of it will help the Parker family or Phillips friends at this point. But, it could go a long way to preventing another family in Tennessee from having to go through this.
Or, will it?
It seems that Tennessee, and more specifically it's legislatures, have a problem with the LGBT community. Tennessee has a "Don't Say Gay" statute in place that prohibits teachers, basically, from acknowledging that gays and lesbians even exist. Does that mean, then, that they can't intervene if a LGBT student is being bullied, like Phillip was. Like Jacob Rogers was? Do they, by law, have to pretend that it's not happening, look the other way when it involves an LGBT student?
In Tennessee, same-sex marriages are illegal.
In Tennessee, LGBT people are not protected from housing and employment discrimination.
In Tennessee, they are trying to pass that bill where bullying against members of the LGBT community will be sanctioned as long as it's done for political, philosophical, or religious beliefs. That's a free pass to emotionally, psychologically, and physically abuse LGBT teens! All they have to do is claim it was done because of their beliefs, and they get a get-out-of-jail-free card.
There needs to be outrage. There needs to be petition after petition after petition. Concerned parents need to be voicing their concerns. Loudly! It is mind-boggling that the citizens of Tennessee are allowing this to happen in their state.
Tennessee is apparently the nation's hotbed for homophobia. Comedian Tracy Morgan went on a homophobic rant at a Nashville comedy club, going as far as to say that he'd stab his son to death if said son was to come out as gay. The significance of this is that it was met with a "thunderous applause". He said he'd kill his son if he turned out gay, and people applauded!? How is this being allowed to happen in this country in 2012!?
Meanwhile, family and friends of Phillip Parker are searching for answers. And, justice. Unfortunately, they won't find much justice in a state that passed a law that forbids teachers to even say the word "gay" in their classes. They won't find justice in a state that, just recently!, made it ok to discriminate against LGBT people in the housing and job markets. They won't find justice in a state that wants to sanction the bullying of LGBT teens. Is there any wonder why teens like Phillip, and Jacob, felt such a sense of hopelessness that they ended their lives?
There's a girl named Alissa. She was Phillip's best friend..."like brother and sister". Like his family, she's in an awful lot of pain right now. Another friend started a facebook page to honor the memory of Phillip. Alissa has made painful posts there. Please go and offer her words of encouragement. She, along with the Parker family, needs to be surrounded by love right now. Do it for Phillip.
Or, will it?
It seems that Tennessee, and more specifically it's legislatures, have a problem with the LGBT community. Tennessee has a "Don't Say Gay" statute in place that prohibits teachers, basically, from acknowledging that gays and lesbians even exist. Does that mean, then, that they can't intervene if a LGBT student is being bullied, like Phillip was. Like Jacob Rogers was? Do they, by law, have to pretend that it's not happening, look the other way when it involves an LGBT student?
In Tennessee, same-sex marriages are illegal.
In Tennessee, LGBT people are not protected from housing and employment discrimination.
In Tennessee, they are trying to pass that bill where bullying against members of the LGBT community will be sanctioned as long as it's done for political, philosophical, or religious beliefs. That's a free pass to emotionally, psychologically, and physically abuse LGBT teens! All they have to do is claim it was done because of their beliefs, and they get a get-out-of-jail-free card.
There needs to be outrage. There needs to be petition after petition after petition. Concerned parents need to be voicing their concerns. Loudly! It is mind-boggling that the citizens of Tennessee are allowing this to happen in their state.
Tennessee is apparently the nation's hotbed for homophobia. Comedian Tracy Morgan went on a homophobic rant at a Nashville comedy club, going as far as to say that he'd stab his son to death if said son was to come out as gay. The significance of this is that it was met with a "thunderous applause". He said he'd kill his son if he turned out gay, and people applauded!? How is this being allowed to happen in this country in 2012!?
Meanwhile, family and friends of Phillip Parker are searching for answers. And, justice. Unfortunately, they won't find much justice in a state that passed a law that forbids teachers to even say the word "gay" in their classes. They won't find justice in a state that, just recently!, made it ok to discriminate against LGBT people in the housing and job markets. They won't find justice in a state that wants to sanction the bullying of LGBT teens. Is there any wonder why teens like Phillip, and Jacob, felt such a sense of hopelessness that they ended their lives?
There's a girl named Alissa. She was Phillip's best friend..."like brother and sister". Like his family, she's in an awful lot of pain right now. Another friend started a facebook page to honor the memory of Phillip. Alissa has made painful posts there. Please go and offer her words of encouragement. She, along with the Parker family, needs to be surrounded by love right now. Do it for Phillip.
Sunday, January 22, 2012
Another Gay Teen Lost to Bullycide: Rest in Peace, Phillip Parker, 14
Every time we lose another LGBT teen to bullycide, we suffer another setback in our efforts to end this malignancy plaguing the LGBT community. Phillip Parker, 14, ended his young life last week after enduring bullying over a period of time at his Gordonsville, Tennessee high school. Tennessee is also the state where Jacob Rogers succumbed to bullycide in early December and the same state that I wrote about, here, earlier in the month. You may recall that Tennessee lawmakers are trying to pass a bill that will allow bullying as long as it is for religious, philosophical, or political beliefs. We're not going to let that happen. A petition needs to be up within the next 24 hours to present to the Tennessee legislation letting them know that we will no accept them sanctioning bullying against LGBT teens.
According to the news report, Phillip's family had gone to the school administrators numerous times to report that he was being bullied. Nothing changed. No, I'm wrong. Things DID change. Things actually got worse for him. The bullying increased. Finally, he'd had enough.
Knowing about these tragedies isn't nearly enough. What's needed is a continued concerted effort of many people, loudly and strongly stating the message that "We're mad as Hell, and we're NOT gonna take it anymore!" Every state legislature needs to be heavily petitioned until there are very strongly-worded laws on the books that will protect EVERY teen from the horrors of bullying. The penalties for bullying needs to be harsh. After all, the penalties against the families and friends of those who take their own lives because of bullying are as harsh as it gets. Further, school systems need to be penalized heavily for failure to a.) provide each student with a safe learning environment; and, b.) act upon complaints of bullying. No way should they be allowed a free pass when a family losses their loved ones.
It goes without saying that our deepest sympathies and heart-felt prayers go out to the family and friends of 14-year-old Phillip Parker. May you find peace in Paradise.
According to the news report, Phillip's family had gone to the school administrators numerous times to report that he was being bullied. Nothing changed. No, I'm wrong. Things DID change. Things actually got worse for him. The bullying increased. Finally, he'd had enough.
Knowing about these tragedies isn't nearly enough. What's needed is a continued concerted effort of many people, loudly and strongly stating the message that "We're mad as Hell, and we're NOT gonna take it anymore!" Every state legislature needs to be heavily petitioned until there are very strongly-worded laws on the books that will protect EVERY teen from the horrors of bullying. The penalties for bullying needs to be harsh. After all, the penalties against the families and friends of those who take their own lives because of bullying are as harsh as it gets. Further, school systems need to be penalized heavily for failure to a.) provide each student with a safe learning environment; and, b.) act upon complaints of bullying. No way should they be allowed a free pass when a family losses their loved ones.
It goes without saying that our deepest sympathies and heart-felt prayers go out to the family and friends of 14-year-old Phillip Parker. May you find peace in Paradise.
Online Support Groups: "You've Gotta Give 'Em Hope"
All over the World Wide Web and, in particular, within the 800,000,000+ community of facebook, there are people banding together like never before in an effort to exact change in our society. More specifically, these people, groups, and communities, are working feverishly to build a better world for the LGBT community. From working towards equality for all people, gay or straight, black or white, to dealing with the issue of bullying, to helping people young and not-so-young come out of the closet, we’re witnessing a lot of great things unfold right before our eyes.
There are some groups, led by some dynamic and driven people, that are leading the way for all of us. At the head of that class would have to be Kevin O’Neil’s creation, Wipeout Homophobia on Facebook. I became part of that community in October of last year, right as it was in the middle of “going viral”. From the membership of slightly under 100,000 when I joined, it has burgeoned to close to 300,000. In less than 3 months! That says that something really good is going on there. Says Kevin, or “Kel” as we know him, many of the people who post comments in the community wall thanks him, and Wipeout Homophobia on Facebook, for “giving me strength to go on”. People, young and old, growing from the support of knowing that such a positive and powerful group of people, gay and straight alike, from all over the world is there for them, giving them strength. And, the community is constantly growing by large numbers!
The Equality Mantra is a group that was started with the mission of glorifying "...the marvelous diversity of humanity while believing, fundamentally, that we're all the same." There, they share stories, pictures, valuable information. Most of all, they share love.
ABC: Anti-Bullying Coalition is one of my personal favorites. That's because bullying is a subject that's very critical to me. In their own words:
I recently did an entry on Charity Smith and her brilliant creation, Project: OUT. This is a project that is helping so many LGBT people, young and not-so-young, with their coming out process. For those who don't already know, the coming out process can be quite traumatic. We've lost too many teens to traumatic coming out processes, with the latest being 19-year-old- EricJames Borges. Here, they can do so anonymously which can be extremely therapeutic.
And, then there's Lyndsay Winegarden's gem of a group, STOP Teenage Suicide. I love this one so much. I did an entry on Lyndsay and her page, as well. She's a remarkable, very courageous lady who is doing great work in the area of trying to bring an end to teen suicide. That's my mission, as well.
That's just a handful of online resources that are paving the way to a much brighter, healthier, and safer world, not only for the LGBT community exclusively, but for all people. As the great people at The Equality Mantra put it:
ABC: Anti-Bullying Coalition is one of my personal favorites. That's because bullying is a subject that's very critical to me. In their own words:
We are passionate about implementing pro-active anti-bullying solutions into our school system and as far around the world as we can grow! We have found such need in our community to advocate for families as well as help change the belief that "kids will be kids" and "it makes them stronger" with the knowledge that even one bullying episode can have life long negative effects. And although our program is currently focused on school time bullying, we hope to spread the word; bullying is a personality and it spans all ages and crosses all boundaries; race, religion, size, gender, socioeconomic status, educational level, sexual orientation and does not stop in High School but continues on to the workplace, retirement homes, private clubs, organizations, it's everywhere. We thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your support! Share the word!They've got the right message. Their work is helping many people.
I recently did an entry on Charity Smith and her brilliant creation, Project: OUT. This is a project that is helping so many LGBT people, young and not-so-young, with their coming out process. For those who don't already know, the coming out process can be quite traumatic. We've lost too many teens to traumatic coming out processes, with the latest being 19-year-old- EricJames Borges. Here, they can do so anonymously which can be extremely therapeutic.
And, then there's Lyndsay Winegarden's gem of a group, STOP Teenage Suicide. I love this one so much. I did an entry on Lyndsay and her page, as well. She's a remarkable, very courageous lady who is doing great work in the area of trying to bring an end to teen suicide. That's my mission, as well.
That's just a handful of online resources that are paving the way to a much brighter, healthier, and safer world, not only for the LGBT community exclusively, but for all people. As the great people at The Equality Mantra put it:
"We all bleed red when pricked. We all cry salty tears. We are all the same. Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere."That's the general theme of all of us as we band together to make a difference. The great news is there's always room for more dedicated people.
"If you "like" marriage equality...if you're encouraged by the six states that have passed marriage equality, and hope the other 44 will SOON follow suit...if you long for equality across the colors to be a reality...if you dream of the day when what we look like, how we worship, where we come from, and who we love are issues that no longer have a seat at the table...if you model love and compassion, and hope to make the world a little bit better by caring and sharing, rather than by denigrating and tearing down...please join [us], and suggest that your friends join. Share your stories, your pictures. Share yourselves. Share the love."
Saturday, January 21, 2012
The True Meaning of Family: The Stories of Two Zac(h)s
My mother had six children from four different men. Of the six, I only knew two. Of those two, one was given away when I was five years old because she couldn't afford to take care of all three of us. I met the man who provided the seed which produced me one time, when I was 16, for five minutes. My mother, throughout my adolescent and teen years, paraded several different men into our lives. Eventually, she married one. And, he was a career inmate. This was a Christian family. This was an extraordinarily dysfunctional family. From my mid-teen into early adulthood, I would latch onto one family or another and kinda insinuate myself into their functional family structure. I was a child screaming at the top of his lungs for normalcy, for a real family structure, for functionality.
In the U.S., every state in the U.S. permits gay adoption in one form or another. Yet, there's still a stigma attached to the process. The rhetoric is road-weary, so I won't even bother repeating it. Last year, Zach Wahls went in front of the Iowa lawmakers in defense gay adoption. Zach was raised by two lesbians: his mothers. Powerfully delivered, the youtube video of it has gone viral, TWICE. His message resonates. Throw away the garbage and hate-filled hyperbole you hear from the anti-gay advocates in regards to gay adoptions. "They" don't matter. "They" are speaking purely from their own fears and ignorance. Watch the video over and again. Check around and listen to other young people who have been or are being raised by LGBT parents. They'll give you the real deal about what it's like to have a real, loving family. Ask Zac about how he feels about his two dads:
I read about Zac earlier this week. His "letter" is heartwarming and heartwrenching all at once. This letter, again found on Wipeout Homophobia on Facebook, is much too powerful for me to try and paraphrase. I'd rather you read it for yourself.
In the U.S., every state in the U.S. permits gay adoption in one form or another. Yet, there's still a stigma attached to the process. The rhetoric is road-weary, so I won't even bother repeating it. Last year, Zach Wahls went in front of the Iowa lawmakers in defense gay adoption. Zach was raised by two lesbians: his mothers. Powerfully delivered, the youtube video of it has gone viral, TWICE. His message resonates. Throw away the garbage and hate-filled hyperbole you hear from the anti-gay advocates in regards to gay adoptions. "They" don't matter. "They" are speaking purely from their own fears and ignorance. Watch the video over and again. Check around and listen to other young people who have been or are being raised by LGBT parents. They'll give you the real deal about what it's like to have a real, loving family. Ask Zac about how he feels about his two dads:
I read about Zac earlier this week. His "letter" is heartwarming and heartwrenching all at once. This letter, again found on Wipeout Homophobia on Facebook, is much too powerful for me to try and paraphrase. I'd rather you read it for yourself.
A Letter from a 15 Year-Old Boy to His Gay, Adoptive DadsToday, I've got a wonderful family. However, not one person in my family shares my bloodline. They're loving and supportive. They're accepting, and they take me just as I am, flaws and all. We, Zac, Zach, and I, understand the true meaning of family. And, I'm 100% certain that there are other in this world who also "get it". As for "those guys", the ones who keep trying to disqualify us, let them keep watching their reruns of Ozzie and Harriet. They don't understand the real world, anyway.
Patrick Wallace posted this over at HuffPost, and it needs to be shared far and wide. A little backstory: this is a kid who was taken from his frankly unfit, drug-abusing mother at age eight, thrown around the foster system, and then adopted several years later by a gay couple. As with many kids adopted that age, Zac had a lot of problems. Very often, it’s gay couples who are willing to take the kids that nobody else wants. Here is the letter that Zac, now 15, read to his family this past Christmas:
To my Family,
This is the first Christmas letter that I have ever written. I feel like since I am getting older, I should start writing a letter to the family or just talk about how I thought the family’s year has gone until Christmas.
Ever since I ended up in this family people have told me that I was lucky. I have always known that I am lucky, especially when I have two dads that love me so much as Dad and Dadio. My family is very special to me. Even when we fight and even when we argue, I know they will always love me. Yes I am a lucky boy to have ended up here after spending so many years in foster care and not knowing if I would ever have a family.
I didn’t grow with a dad. My birthmom had many boyfriends and she did a lot of drugs and partying. My sisters and me were taken from her on my eighth birthday. It was not fun to have police in my room on that day. It made me sad and this sadness I carried for many years and it got me in a lot of trouble. Then I landed in a great foster home after having lived in 12 different homes in three years. It was when I lived there that both my foster mom and social worker told me there was a family that wanted me. There was a catch: it was two dads!
Honestly, it didn’t matter to me. I told them, “well, I never had a dad, now I get to have two!”
The start was tough and rough, and I put them through hell and back. I did awful and nasty things to them both. I stole their credit card and spent thousands of dollars online. When we went on my first vacation out of the country, I stole stuff from a souvenir stand – they found out and made me go back to the shop to return the souvenirs and made me pay the lady who owned the shop for the stolen property which then I had to give to a local kid. I didn’t get it and thought they were being mean.
When I stole their American Express and maxed it buying stuff online I was only 12 years old. They were very upset, but Dad made sure I got the message of how serious this was. He took me to our local police station and reported me to the police captain for having stolen again. I was taken to an interrogation room and talked to by three police officers. All the time there I only wanted my Dad to come in and bring me home. I wanted to turn time back to before my stealing so I would not be there and I would not have hurt my parents so much. I learned my lesson and NEVER stole again!
But Dad and Dadio brought not just me into this family. They also added my brother Derrick. What I can say about Derrick is that he is really cool, he is funny, he is an awesome gay guy, he is a one of a kind guy, he is my bro. Next they added Nick. Nick can get on my nerves sometimes, but in the end he is pretty cool. He is a fast leaner when it comes to math and multiplying numbers. And with that said, I will go to the roots of the family.
Dad and Dadio. They are my parents and they are always here when I need them.
When it is dark they are the light,
When I feel frightened and chill’s,
They are the warmth I feel.
When I am hungry they cook my meals.
I did not put a lot of time into the poem, but in the poem you see my parents. The people that show me the light. The people that warm my heart when it gets dark. The people that cook my meals. If I could only ask for anything for Christmas I would only ask for my family.
By Zac
MEDICAL BREAKTHROUGH: AIDS is Caused by Poppers!!!
Bryan Fischer of the American Family Association and one of the leaders or the anti-gay movement said something astonishing. According to him, AIDS is NOT caused by HIV. Rather, it's caused by "rampant promiscuity" and the use of poppers. According to this sage, "the average homosexual has hundreds, sometimes over 1,000 sexual partners in his/her lifetime." I'm reminded of an old saying: "It's better to be thought a fool than to open your mouth and remove all doubt." You know, this is so preposterous, I wasn't even going to respond to it; however, it's so dangerous yet humorous, I now feel I must.
Humor first: If anyone knows this idiot's address, please mail him a calendar. The "poppers" theory is so 1984. As I recall, that goes back to the day where they didn't have a clue as to what was killing off our community and called it "the gay cancer". And, the only commonality they could possibly find was the little brown bottles we used to buy at the clubs. Nineteen eighty four. And, if the average homosexual has between 500 and 1,000 sexual partners in their lifetime, I feel severely cheated!
Why is this dangerous? Do I really have to answer that? This is the rhetoric that's contributing heavily to the volatile environment we see today. The environment that's leading the children of idiots like this and their followers to think that it's alright to degrade, torment, and bully LGBT teens. It's dangerous because certainly amongst the followers of maniacs like Mr. Fischer, and trust that there are many, there are some LGBT teens listening daily as mommy and daddy preach these words of hatred and intolerance in their presence not knowing that they are raising an LGBT teen. As an extension, OTHER LGBT teens are hearing this type of purely ignorant but powerfully-delivered rhetoric. And, that is one of the driving forces that leaves our LGBT teens with low self-esteem. And, worse, it plays heavily into the escalation of the teen suicides we're seeing right now.
There are a lot of people doing a lot of very good people doing a myriad of great things towards working for a solution to the problem of hatred and intolerance towards our LGBT teens, towards stemming this tide of bullying and bullycide. Bryan Fischer proves beyond doubt that there's still plenty of work that needs to be done. I've said it many times before: in order to begin to see a change in our social climate, we need a complete re-education of our society as a whole. And, the place to start the re-education process is with the ADULTS! The teens responsible for the bullying are merely a reflection of what they're learning from the adults. From the politicians who use their power and influence to denounce the validity of our love for another human to the preacher who leads his "congregation" to the funerals of gays with signs of hatred to the parents who disregard, derogate or, worse, simply disown their LBGT children, the re-education will have to start with the adults. Somebody email Bryan Fischer and tell him that class is in session.
Humor first: If anyone knows this idiot's address, please mail him a calendar. The "poppers" theory is so 1984. As I recall, that goes back to the day where they didn't have a clue as to what was killing off our community and called it "the gay cancer". And, the only commonality they could possibly find was the little brown bottles we used to buy at the clubs. Nineteen eighty four. And, if the average homosexual has between 500 and 1,000 sexual partners in their lifetime, I feel severely cheated!
Why is this dangerous? Do I really have to answer that? This is the rhetoric that's contributing heavily to the volatile environment we see today. The environment that's leading the children of idiots like this and their followers to think that it's alright to degrade, torment, and bully LGBT teens. It's dangerous because certainly amongst the followers of maniacs like Mr. Fischer, and trust that there are many, there are some LGBT teens listening daily as mommy and daddy preach these words of hatred and intolerance in their presence not knowing that they are raising an LGBT teen. As an extension, OTHER LGBT teens are hearing this type of purely ignorant but powerfully-delivered rhetoric. And, that is one of the driving forces that leaves our LGBT teens with low self-esteem. And, worse, it plays heavily into the escalation of the teen suicides we're seeing right now.
There are a lot of people doing a lot of very good people doing a myriad of great things towards working for a solution to the problem of hatred and intolerance towards our LGBT teens, towards stemming this tide of bullying and bullycide. Bryan Fischer proves beyond doubt that there's still plenty of work that needs to be done. I've said it many times before: in order to begin to see a change in our social climate, we need a complete re-education of our society as a whole. And, the place to start the re-education process is with the ADULTS! The teens responsible for the bullying are merely a reflection of what they're learning from the adults. From the politicians who use their power and influence to denounce the validity of our love for another human to the preacher who leads his "congregation" to the funerals of gays with signs of hatred to the parents who disregard, derogate or, worse, simply disown their LBGT children, the re-education will have to start with the adults. Somebody email Bryan Fischer and tell him that class is in session.
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