I was privileged to grow up and come out in the liberal Bay Area at a school of generally accepting and supportive peers. It was a terrifying and liberating experience, the likes of which can never truly be described by the insufficient power of words. I say "fortunate" because I had fully prepared myself to 'fight the good fight" and stand up to the bullying and harassment that was associated with being and out gay teen in the late 90's. Yet despite my fearing for the worst, I received much of the best. I daresay, coming out only made me more popular.
Mine, sadly, was the exception more so than the rule. It is sometimes hard to fathom what life is like in other parts of the United States--places where a young man can be beaten and left for dead on the side of a dark, desolate road for being gay, or a young man can be driven to suicide by by the pressure of the closet, or a young woman can be denied access to the prom for being a lesbian, or a school boy can have the word "fag" carved into the flesh of his arm. These were the places I read about in the paper or heard about on the television, and though I could not fathom them, I was terrified of their reality nonetheless.
I can still remember so clearly hearing the news reports about Matthew Shepard--who was murdered just before I came out of the closet my junior year of high school. I was so afraid because the hate and violence that took his life were directed at an identity I felt was a part of me. In short, I felt his fate could be my future, and I had no one to share these fears with. That's what makes the bullied LGBT teens so different.
A bullied, scared, confused, depressed, or even suicidal LGBT teen often feels they have no one they can talk to because the source of their difficult emotions, feelings related to their emerging identity, may be something they haven't told anyone about. At least a teen bullied because of weight, gender, race, or religion can oftentimes find solace and support at home, but a queer teen may find nothing at home but more hate.
Too many LGBT teens are still kicked out by their families for coming out. The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force reports that, "According to one study, 50 percent of gay teens experienced a negative reaction from their parents when they came out and 26 percent were kicked out of their homes." How can a teen in trouble get help when the people whose job it is to protect them when no one else will turn their backs on them? Shame on these parents. They have blood on their hands.
Everyone that has an opportunity to help a youth in need and turns their back has blood on his or her hands. Teachers that do not address bullying in their classrooms, administrators that do not take decisive and considerable action when faced with reports of bullying, and fellow students that stand by in silence ALL have blood on their hands. Too many of us have blood on our hands.
Why don't we all stand up to bullies every time we see them? Why don't we confront our own bullies? Why don't we confront people that bully others? What are we so afraid of? It all comes back to this question of fear.
We are afraid to protect ourselves because we feel alone. We are afraid to stand up to bullies and protect others because we feel we will be alone in our efforts and will become a target. It is beyond time we take a stand. The bullies need to be the ones to feel alone. The bullies need to feel scared.
Next time you find a bully in action, do something about it. Whether you are the bullied or a witness, tell someone that can help. Additionally, tell them to stop. Stand up to them. Too often a bully is met with only permissive silence or encouraging laughter by onlookers. They need to be met with a loud chorus of "LEAVE HIM/HER ALONE!" Together, we are strong.
Until we are all ready to stand up together, our youth will continue to be victims of bullicide. Until we show them with actions, not just words, that they are not alone, the bullies will continue to win. Until we find our strength and our voice and loudly proclaim as one, "WE WILL NOT BE BULLIED!" we will all have some blood on our hands.
A bullied, scared, confused, depressed, or even suicidal LGBT teen often feels they have no one they can talk to because the source of their difficult emotions, feelings related to their emerging identity, may be something they haven't told anyone about. At least a teen bullied because of weight, gender, race, or religion can oftentimes find solace and support at home, but a queer teen may find nothing at home but more hate.
Too many LGBT teens are still kicked out by their families for coming out. The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force reports that, "According to one study, 50 percent of gay teens experienced a negative reaction from their parents when they came out and 26 percent were kicked out of their homes." How can a teen in trouble get help when the people whose job it is to protect them when no one else will turn their backs on them? Shame on these parents. They have blood on their hands.
Everyone that has an opportunity to help a youth in need and turns their back has blood on his or her hands. Teachers that do not address bullying in their classrooms, administrators that do not take decisive and considerable action when faced with reports of bullying, and fellow students that stand by in silence ALL have blood on their hands. Too many of us have blood on our hands.
Why don't we all stand up to bullies every time we see them? Why don't we confront our own bullies? Why don't we confront people that bully others? What are we so afraid of? It all comes back to this question of fear.
We are afraid to protect ourselves because we feel alone. We are afraid to stand up to bullies and protect others because we feel we will be alone in our efforts and will become a target. It is beyond time we take a stand. The bullies need to be the ones to feel alone. The bullies need to feel scared.
Next time you find a bully in action, do something about it. Whether you are the bullied or a witness, tell someone that can help. Additionally, tell them to stop. Stand up to them. Too often a bully is met with only permissive silence or encouraging laughter by onlookers. They need to be met with a loud chorus of "LEAVE HIM/HER ALONE!" Together, we are strong.
Until we are all ready to stand up together, our youth will continue to be victims of bullicide. Until we show them with actions, not just words, that they are not alone, the bullies will continue to win. Until we find our strength and our voice and loudly proclaim as one, "WE WILL NOT BE BULLIED!" we will all have some blood on our hands.
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