Warning: The following will not necessarily be rational or calm or politically correct.
The families of Jamey Rodemeyer and Lawrence King have my deepest sympathy. I am not a parent so I am left to imagine. Losing a child is horrific, losing one to suicide, or murder, defies description I have no doubt.
The public focus is on the bullying of LGBT teens as they have been in the headlines and the obituaries, but I do not forget that there are other teens dying.
Of course anyone who has been in school in any decade knows that bullying occurs for many more reasons than the appearance of being LGBT. No doubt you have heard the maxim "kids can be cruel" or a variation thereof. That does not mean we shouldn't try to change that behavior, is school not for learning?
As I sit here trying to organize and express my thoughts and feelings 20/20 has come on with a story about another LGBT teen Larry King. He did not commit suicide, a 14 year old classmate executed him in the classroom Feb. 13, 2008. The first trial ended with a hung jury (7-5) over the decision to try the 14 year old as an adult for 1st degreee murder and a mistrial was declared. All jurors agreed it was not a hate crime. It seems the smaller child Larry was using his sexuality as a shield and this disturbed some. Six jurors from the first trial sit and say they want to save Brandon McInerney. It seems the issue is more complicated than it appears on the surface as troubles at home and similar issues are revealed. Two things seem clear to me. King was exploring his sexual identity by wearing female clothing and wearing make-up. Brandon McInerney brought a gun to school and shot Lawrence twice in the back of the head. His brother has advised him to work out so as to be able to defend himself when he is moved to an adult facility.
I realize that the cases being mentioned here are taking place in the United States of America. I am not stating that they could not take place in Canada or other countries though I would like to share a short paragraph from Wikipedia from under the entry "hate speech."
"There is an international consensus that hate speech needs to be prohibited by law, and that such prohibitions override or are irrelevant to guarantees of freedom of expression. The United States is perhaps unique among the developed world in that under law hate speech regulation is incompatible with free speech.[11]
I am not speaking to the politicians who do not have a problem with "God hates fags" or queer or the plethora of slurs being used in schools against children. I guess the counter argument is that if children did not have the right to impose God's hatred on others then religious freedoms would be infringed on. Not only do some politicians feel entitled to rule on which sexuality is moral they also believe everyone must believe as they do. There is no debate about human rights being violated because God does indeed hate fags in their view and also in the view of the people who fund and vote for these politicians. I read on cbsnews.com Michele Bachmann was quoted as saying bullying is "not a Federal issue" after a petition with 141,000 signatures was presented to her office. Why her? Well she is in the race to run for President for the Republicans. She has since released a statement longer than a single sentence. My guess is that some votes can be gained or held on to.
Why her?
Well it seems there is a "neutrality" policy in the Anoka-Hennepin school district in her congressional district regarding speaking about LGBT issues or discussions such as anti-gay bullying, which says just don't mention the LGBT or anti-gay bit. It's been pointed out that the policy also applies to the mention of heterosexuality as well. Could she be a bit touchy? I don't know but it is also worth noting the largest school district in Minnesota is under investigation by the Dept. of Justice and the Dept. of Education's Office of Civil Rights. There have been a number of suicides, seven I think.
However I digress. I pride myself on being a positive person when it comes to the issues of humanity but apparently when children kill themselves because they can no longer face the brutality they are legally obliged to attend I have reached a limit, I have crossed a line.
I am not speaking to the prejudiced, the ignorant, or the greedy. I give up on you and the best that I can hope for is that WHEN, NOT IF, you reap what you have sown you remember why it is happening to you. I tell myself it is wrong to wish slow and agonizing deaths on you but I am not yet wholly convinced. Soon I will remember that it takes energy to hate and you scum are not worth it. Let the true Christians pity you, you get what you deserve. You are cursed.
As Canadians it has been joked that when we get really upset we immediately sit down and write a letter. This is my challenge to you who have not voiced your opinion to the right people. Write a fucking letter, send a god-damned e-mail, pick up your phone and call or text the person who works for you in government. Start a petition, send a sympathy card, smile at a stranger.
Just PLEASE DO SOMETHING.
I know that more can be done because there is still debate about how much protection can be given without running the danger that you might be approving of a deviant lifestyle. I mean we don't want the children of right-wing fundamentalists to start commiting suicide because they lost the right to speak of God's hatred daily with impunity now do we. I know that more can be done I have seen what happens when many voices become one.
One of my favourite YouTubers RosstorWho said that in Britain that the slogan reads "It Gets Better...Today" and he suggests "It Stops Now...Like Right Now." Here is a link to his vlog: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5jTB7HA1xEs He makes the obvious point that it is not enough to say It Gets Better...when you graduate years from now. I am not taking away from the It Gets Better/Trevor Project campaigns, they are tremendously important and many people have responded and not just from the LGBT community. We need more.
Truth, Liberty and Justice for all. Land of the free and home of the Brave. True North strong and free, we stand on guard for thee. Empty words. They are mirages, they sound good at the hockey, football, baseball, or basketball game but dissipate under the bright fluorescents in the halls of learning.
It cannot be Equality if your rights are different than mine. It cannot be Democracy if the voices of all the people are not heard. It cannot be responsible government if money or re-election influence decisions and policies. It cannot be moral if it is created by hate. It cannot be that we are so busy, so emotionally disconnected, so apathetic that we will let this continue. It cannot be.
This is the thing, I need to believe that more will be done. I need to believe that the majority believe there is something wrong with the school systems, and that it needs to be fixed, must be fixed. I need to believe that somewhere inside people see and feel the need to act together. I stated earlier I am a romantic idealist. I need to believe there is more love in the world than hate.
“All that's necessary for the forces of evil to win in the world is for enough good men to do nothing.” - Edmund Burke.
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