In recent weeks, we've all heard the stories of the tragic suicides of young people across this country who were bullied and harassed into believing their only recourse was to kill themselves. And why? Because they were homosexuals. No more than that. They weren't criminals. They didn't hurt anyone. They didn't do anything illegal or harmful or evil. They were simply born with a disposition to be attracted to the same gender. And for that, cruel, thoughtless people tormented them to the point where they felt compelled to end their lives. Talk about evil....
Of course, we could all debate the issue till the cows come home, but I have no interest in debating this issue. People who are homosexual are born that way. Period. End of discussion for me. No amount of debate will ever convince me that one single solitary person would choose to be part of a group that's treated this way, let alone all the millions of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people that are in the world. So, let's just move on to what's really important at this point.
What is important now is support. We must support our fellow man. We have to show support to our neighbors, coworkers, peers. We have a responsibility to our communities, local and global, to spread the message that hate and intolerance must be abolished. The youth of this world need us to show them, by our words and actions, that we will support them. That it is ok for them to be who they are. That when they do have the misfortune to run into narrow-minded fools who harass them or bully them that they are not alone and will not be left to their mercies. That they don't have to feel hopeless. I have created some images and posted them on my graphics site that I am allowing people to use (for personal use) to show their support. You can find them at
www.krwgraphics.com/LGBTAcceptance I hope you will like these images and please refer your friends to use them too if they like. It's a small step - but I hope the wide usage of images like these will help keep this issue in the forefront of people's minds. And hopefully, for those teens out there who need our help, when they see them being used, they will know we care.
There are other things we can do. Many of us spend so many hours of our lives on the internet. We all see postings on Facebook and the like about spreading the message of tolerance, but how many of us actually go ahead and spread that message? How many of us tell friends and family that might make a joke about gays that it's inappropriate? Do we all teach our children that there are all kinds of families, including families that have 2 mommies or 2 daddies, or do we avoid it because it might be awkward? I know it's not always easy. We don't want to get into debates, or deal with other people's prejudices, so sometimes it is easier to just keep quiet. I get it, I really do. But if we are raising children in our communities who feel it is not only acceptable to torment and humiliate kids because of their sexual orientation, not just because they think it's wrong - but in some cases as some kind of sport! - then the village has failed. We need to try harder.
Today, October 20, 2010, we are asked to wear and/or display purple in support of those youths who were so tragically pushed to their limits. I hope as many of you who can will please do this today, and continue to show our support of those teens still here, still needing us, as often as you can.
Thank you
Kerry
