National Coming Out Day, which began in 1987 promotes a safe world for LGBT individuals to live truthfully and openly. You can read about the controversy that happened here in
This year, in honor of National Coming Out Day and in support of a more tolerant
The first time I remember hearing about this issue was in 1998, when Matthew Shepherd was targeted, tortured and murdered because of his sexual orientation. I’m sure other hate crimes such as this had happened prior to this event, but it was Matthew’s murder that sticks in my mind most. Tomorrow marks the 16th anniversary of Matthew Shepherd’s death. Today, hate crimes and bullying based on sexual orientation remain on the rise. Consider the following:
- According to the Gay Lesbian Straight Educator’s Network, students hear anti-gay epithets over 25 times a day and teachers fail to respond 97% of the time.
- According to the Task Force on Youth Suicide, gay youth are 3 times more likely than straight youths to commit suicide. In fact, 30% of all youth suicides have been linked to issues the youth faced concerning their sexual identity.
- The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force reports 28% of gay students drop out of high school.
- In a survey done by the National School Climate Task Force, 64% of gay students feel unsafe at school because of their sexual orientation.
I believe that alot can be done by society breaking the age old discrimination that religious people and their bible has ingrained in the minds of people, by thinking for themselves and actually getting to know the people who are openly a homosexual, and not blindly following what everyone else, let me think , you might actually find alot in common with someone, huh, imagine that!?. I also believe that the ones who have enough courage to come out openly should be given respect for their decision, no one has the right to be hated and mentally/physically abused just because of their preference, if the person makes you happy, it should not matter if they are the same gender or not.
ReplyDeleteWe need to stop treating homosexuality/transgender identity as something that's just as bad as rape and murder. We treat gay people as if they're broken or just going through a phase and that's not true. We act as if it's something that needs to be hidden and not shared with the public, which leads to people thinking that it must be bad if we have to hide it. Heterosexual couples are shown to all ages in media, while gay couples are limited to only being shown or talked about in adult media. For some reason, we do not want our kids to see same-sex relationships because I truthfully believe some people fear that their kids will "catch" being gay, as if it's a choice. And the reason people don't want their kids to be gay is because they don't want their kids to be seen as different or to be targeted and bullied. It's a vicious cycle. I think that if we depict more LGBT in media and not censor it as something bad, it'll stop being seen as abnormal.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, for some reason, humans are threatened by people different from them if they have grown up not being exposed to it. That's why people have been attacked for the color of their skin, their sexual identity, being pro-life or pro-choice. People HAVE to be exposed to all different kinds of people and choices at a young age or else they grow up thinking anyone else who is different from what they are is automatically a lesser person.
And why does the entire country get to vote on personal choices for other people when it has nothing to do with them? Why do people who I don't even know living on the opposite side of the state get to decide if I have the right to marry the person I love or not? It's not their life or their choice. It does not affect them and it never will so why do they get a say in what choices I make in MY personal life? Why do we need to vote on things like gay rights? Why do we even need to vote on whether or not someone gets rights or not?
I feel this is something that needs to be talked about more in schools. I feel the more kids know about this topic the less hate crimes and bullying will go on troughout their lives, if they learn about it at a young age it is something that isn't foreign to them and they will be more comfortable to people who have differnt sexual orientations. I feel schools parents and communities could have events to raise awareness, but the events need to be uplifting so no negative thoughts are brought to the event.
ReplyDeleteI feel hate crimes against homosexuals are totally unacceptable. People should be more accepting of one's personal preference. You do not have to like it but you will have to respect their decisions. I think parents should teach their children to respect others and explain the consequences of being a bully or committing these hate crimes. I also feel schools should raise awareness by discussing to students that its not okay.
ReplyDeleteI graduated from a high school that was considered to be the "gay" high school, that was not the case. Every year students would pledge to do a day of silence against homosexual bullying. I participated every year and found it to be very effective. It teaches kids its ok be to different. It also depends on the parents views on homosexuals, it can cause they parents to teach their children that its not acceptable. It only so much a school can teach.
ReplyDeleteI believe a lot of this starts at home and that it's intolerable . people should do the same thing that is done with cyber bullying with this situation. I just believe that the awareness should out there. it's usually easier if kids are taught from the get-go not to treat people disrespectfully. i just think some things can be prevented with proper communication and even protest.
ReplyDeleteI believe bullying can be stopped by fending for yourself and reporting to the authorities or teachers and principals and parents to deal with the situation quickly and look for a suitable way to deal with the bully or suspend for his actions if necessary.
ReplyDeleteI am not anti-gay. If two people are consenting and love each other then leave them alone. That is there right. I am not a bible-thumper, so it doesn't have anything to do with the church with me. There are laws on the books about hate crimes. All hate crimes fall under these laws. Most people think of a hate crime as a racial issue. Hate crimes are not all about race. Where I live I have never heard of one incident of a gay hate crime or a racial hate crime. I am not saying it doesn't happen, I'm just saying I haven't heard about it. Also, I feel that if a man and woman have been married longer than five years, it is a same sex marriage! Just saying!
ReplyDeleteThe only way bullying gay and lesbian students will stop is if every teacher is on board enforcing consequences and changing the students view on the issue. Parents should explain why bullying is cruel no matter who you do it to for any reason. The media should also address the issue.
ReplyDeleteI feel that start to end bullying and etc against sexuality crimes began in the home. How you are raised in general to accept EVERYONE.As far as the community making awareness, it does a decent job. Social clubs, meetings, events etc take place. I just feel people should feel that it is okay to attend these events
ReplyDeleteI think that the schools, parents and community should teach young kids and adults that being homosexual is fine. They need to be shown that they are as equal as heterosexuals. Everyone need to get on the same page because if they don't then this is just going to continue. In school I think they should teach about homosexuality and let kids know that it's okay to be that way because they are no different from anyone else. Parents should also do the same, and communities need to come together and stop the bullying.
ReplyDeleteI think that schools and parents should be willing to talk about this topic with their kids and students. In today's world there are so many people wanting to point fingers to homosexuality and completely shut it out and criticize it. It doesn't matter what sexual orientation a person is, love is love and should not be for someone to judge upon. Hate crimes against such love should be punished and have consequences just like any other crime. Things like this can really do damage to people and it's not right by any means.
ReplyDeleteI honestly don't think anything can be done to change peoples minds about homosexuals. We can educate students that being homosexual is nothing to be ashamed of and those people are not freaks or weirdos. However, it's hard to do that if parents or teachers are against it. It should be taught how cruel bullying is, it doesn't matter if it's against someones sexuality. I feel like that is the biggest issue and how people children especially stay silent and they shouldn't. I think it would be wonderful if it was taught in school and by parents how bullying someone over their sexuality is wrong. But that would be like preaching to students to read the bible and go to church. You can't really force someone to understand something they don't want to. It's a touchy subject.
ReplyDeleteI think parents should let their children know that some people are attracted to the same sex and that it's okay.
-Christina Padro
"Charity begins at home." If parents teach their kids to love everyone no matter who or where they are from bullying might just end. Children imitate everything their parents do and if they see you hating others for what they are, best believe it there are going to do the same because that's what they know and think is right. Break the cycle by teaching all these coming generations that it is okay to open up about homosexuality, become friends with the person who is from you because this how you gain knowledge. "become friends with people who aren't your age. Hangout with people whose first language isn't as yours. Get to know someone who doesn't come from your social class. this is how you see the world. This is how you grow and gain wisdom."
ReplyDeleteFor those who bully i think severe actions like jail should be taken, we don't need to breed criminals. Most of these bullies just go free with a 2 week suspension from school..I say they want to act tough throw them where they need to see what happens to wanna-be-toughies.
I think the first step to prevent this type of bullying in a community is to start with yourself. I know I've said the words gay or faggot as an adjective or a noun. Never in rude or derogatory manner directed at someone who is actually GLBT but more as a joke. Some times people don't realize that could be offensive until its brought to their attention. By no means is someones sexual orientation a joke. I propose as the first step everyone should look with in themselves and see what they can change personally to prevent bullying towards GLBT and furthermore prevent suicide. In doing so becoming comfortable with your own sexuality will lead you to becoming comfortable with other peoples sexuality thus creating open minds.
ReplyDeleteI consider myself a Christian and it baffles me that that other people who believe in Jesus, are against homosexuals and gay marriage. To me, they are basically against love, and Jesus was all about love, so to me that doesn't make sense. (Jesus had two dads btw, and he turned out pretty okay)
ReplyDeleteI think 3 things should be done to prevent bullying against homosexuals:
1. Parents: I think parents should make sure to teach their kids that being gay is not a bad thing, and it is not an abnormal thing either. Just like we teach kids that women should be equal to men, and that race or ethnicity does not make you better or worse than anyone. No baby is born being racist or homophobic, they are taught these things from the environment they grow up in, the people they spend time with and the media. I grew up in a Christian family and I grew up with two homosexual godfathers instead of a godfather and a godmother. To me, that was completely natural because I knew it was about love. One time when I was about 6 years old I knew they were married just like my mom and dad was, and wondered why they never kissed in public, like my parents would do, so I asked them and they told me that they just didn't want to offend anyone. I remember being so sad about this, I don't think anyone should ever hide away love.
2. Education: I think schools should teach kids about homosexuality both in history and sex education. I also think it is very important to teach about other kinds of sexuality such as bisexual, asexual, pansexual, transgender, gender neutral etc. I think it is (thank god) becoming more acceptable each day to be gay, but I think a lot of people are more prejudiced against other kinds of sexual orientations because they don't know what it is or they think it sounds weird or is abnormal.
3. Yourself: Like Jessica wrote, I think she made a really great point suggesting that we take a look at how we behave ourselves. I also think we should make an effort to intervene if we see someone getting bullied (for anything really, but also for being gay). I think we should all try to keep our minds as open as possible.
Also, just a funny fact, in Denmark we do not have a word like "girlfriend" or "boyfriend" that specifies your significant others gender. It's not that we have a word for it but don't use it, no there is no word for it and never was! We say "kaereste" which literally translates to "my dearest" and is gender neutral . I'm not saying other countries should do this to, I just think it's kind of funny and cute.
I think that parents should be talking to their children a lot more about LGBT issues instead of trying to avoid it, like some do. This topic should fit right into their bullying conversations, which all parents should talk about since it's such a serious issue. I just feel like people still think LGBT is a a taboo topic, which is absurd because it's real life, whether they like it or not. It needs to be discussed more in schools, especially middle school and high school, because that's when people are finding out their true identity. Most importantly though, it should start with yourself. "Treat others how you'd want to be treated." It's as simple as that.
ReplyDeleteHonestly, once a student is in, say high school, he or she has most likely made up his or her mind about how they feel about homosexuals. If they choose to bully homosexuals, sure they can be punished to try to be taught that what they are doing is wrong, but it most likely will have little effect. The best way to improve how homosexuals are treated in the future, is to have parents teach their kids how they should act. They shouldn't necessarily explain it to their kids, but showing the example of how to treat people, no matter who they are, is essential. If the parents are going around using offensive language and treating people badly, homosexual or not, their kids are likely to follow suit, and by that time it's too late to tell them it's wrong. They've already been shown by their parents that it's okay.
ReplyDeleteOne thing that stands out to me and that I can really relate to is the statistic on teachers failing to respond to anti-gay epithets heard by students. I can remember during elementary school and especially middle school hearing anti-gay slurs, remarks, "jokes", etc. all of the time and they were said in the vicinity of teachers. I remember distinctly teachers not saying anything or doing anything to stop this kind of bullying. In fact, one of my gym teachers from middle school actually participated in the bullying with other students, but that's a story for another time.
ReplyDeleteI think the first thing that can be done to prevent bullying starts teachers taking action and serving consequences when they see it happening. School principals and leaders need to issue strict policies and rules on bullying and could even advertise that bullying is wrong and it's affect on people through school hallways, restrooms, lunchrooms, etc.
Another place where the issue can cause problems is at home. I was very fortunate enough to have parents who were extremely supportive of my lifestyle, but I know that many people out there aren't so lucky. However, even if your kid isn't homosexual I think the issue of bullying STILL needs to be expressed in homes and talked about with parents' children. Telling them how words can cut a lot deeper than physical blows and the impact it can have on youth could make a HUGE difference.
I think the issue of same-sex marriage and bullying has gained a lot of momentum, especially recently, in terms of accepting it and putting a stop to hate crimes and bullying against people that have different walks of life from yourself. I am so proud and happy that same-sex marriage is growing more and more accepted across the United States, but there are definitely battles still to be fought. I think that if everyone who is already standing against these issues continues to do what they're doing now and involve even more people to stand with them, a huge change is well on its way.
I believe that there can be a lot done to stop these crimes. I think that there should be counselors at school that openly announce that they are here to talk about same- sex issues. I think that could help a lot for young people because they don't have a lot of people to talk about this issue with. I also think that in schools there could be a club? that may sound silly but there are clubs for everything else in school. I saw it in a show and it really made a difference. I believe that no one has the right to bully someone, especially for being themselves. So I think making these little changes could help tremendously.
ReplyDeleteI feel that many negative views and actions towards homosexuals come from ignorance and closed-mindedness. In a lot of ways the adversities that homosexuals have faced parallel to segregation prior to 1960s and just like those times I feel the best way to combat them is changing your way of thinking. I feel if more people tried to see things from another person's, whether in the LGBT community or otherwise, things would change.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Tiffany Evans (the about comment). When it comes to people being hateful towards homosexuals , I believe it comes from ignorance and a lack of tolerance. I think some people are so ignorant to the idea that people are different. But I do think education and people getting more experience in the world can help to prevent more bullying and hate crimes against homosexuals.
ReplyDeleteI think students, parents and the community can raise awareness by showing their expectance. Also to educate their children that all people are different. I think continuing to single people out will only make it worse.
I feel as if students, parents, and the community should learn what they believe in. No one should try to change anyone about what they think about homosexuals if you are with it then thats an personal choice, if you dont like it for what ever reason you shouldnt discourge others just because you dont agree with whats going on.
ReplyDeleteSocial and cultural discrimination (issues like these) are just something that will just ultimately become a normality in society. America is relatively just now starting to not discriminate and live with other peoples' race, sexual orientation, any different lifestyle. Every community could help by just loving and accepting one another. That would solve everythingggggg.
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