This is the birthday present a young friend of mine was given at school. She has just turned 17. She is a senior, taking advanced classes AND college classes. She can act. She is beautiful. She has dreams and plans far bigger than the small town in which she lives. She is bisexual. She is a caring, loving Christian who takes her faith seriously. Guess which ones her peers care the most about?
I am so angry I can barely write. The police won't do anything about it because it "took place on school property." So, apparently, hate crimes aren't hate crimes between the hours of 7:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. At that point, they are simply childish pranks and can be handled by the principal. So many other bloggers I know could be so beautifully eloquent right now ~ DonDon, the Butler, and the Lovely Cats come to mind immediately ~ but all I can do is be angry.
Those are Pobble Thoughts. That and a buck fifty will get you coffee.
7 comments:
You have the right to be angry... so am I!
This is a very sad situation but this young lady needs to understand that she is not alone.
Students have the right to attend school without being harassed or intimidated yet 70% of LGBT students say they have been harassed, threatened or physically assaulted at school.
Children can be cruel....... peer pressure is intense, and in many instances, "the apple doesn't fall far from the tree"
Schools need to protect all students from discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.
Trying to deal with all the challenges of being a teenager; gay/ lesbian/ bisexual/ transgender (GBLT) teens additionally have to deal with harassment, threats, and violence directed at them on a daily basis. This can have a serious effect on the reason students are in school in the first place... to get an education.
I pray that this young lady has the support of her family and friends... She needs to know that she is loved. I pray that she believes in the ignorance of hate... I pray that thru this she will be transformed from young lady into a very strong woman. PEACE~
Until such time that people get it into their thick skulls that sexual orientation is NOT a choice, descrimination will never be punished adequately. Children can be cruel, yes...but so can adults. I think that there's some part of many adults, even if they don't admit it, even if it's tucked away deeply, that will turn a blind eye to this behavior because they feel like it's almost justified...like "well, what did you expect?" These sorts of lessons are always learned in the most difficult of ways. The fact that these actions and this mind set is not uncommon doesn't make it right, but it does open one's eyes to the reality of bigotry. I hope your friend can get past the ugliness of this attack, and see that if she gives in to that type of intimidation, if she shrinks or hides herself away, they have won. It's a battle that might not ever be won, but it's one worth fighting. We are all equal. Who we are as people, our worth as human beings is not determined by how we look, who we love, nor our sexual identities. Those are just the easiest targets for people so insecure that they must prey on someone else to feel better about themselves. I hope this makes her stronger and doesn't leave her feeling defeated. My prayers are with her.
i don't know how eloquent i can be with this either. what i can do is continue to advocate for glbt people as a pastor.
and i will. please tell your friend (i'm not sure who it is) that there are lots of people who support her and care about what happened to her... including me.
Disgusting that someone would do that.
The cruel thing about being a teenager is that it becomes so hard to express yourself without worrying what others might think.
I think your friend is a true heroine and I hope that she remains strong through this last year.
The police are truly passing the buck on this one. Disturbing on that end as well.
Disturbing,
Pure hatred that causes tears and fears to burn in the body.
~~~~~
Rubbing off the marks, wanting it all to go away, wanting to hide.
~~~~~
Going to school, finding faith and help in friends, knowing she's not alone.
~~~~~
She only learns and goes on.
~~~~~
I wrote that, I don't know how eloquent it is, darling, but it's to show faith and thanks.
Many, many thanks to those of you who have left comments. I know she read them and appreciated them. Hopefully, she now feels as loved and supported as she felt hated. If anonymous strangers can hurt her, perhaps anonymous strangers can help her heal, too. (and if you haven't had a chance to leave a comment for her and want to ~ please do so! I will keep notifying her to check back as she/we get new ones!!!) My blog readers are the best, you know?
That poor girl!!!!
I'm glad she took a picture.
I hope she has her parents' and friends' support, too. Looks like she needs it.
It's particularly brutal to do this to a kid during their senior year, because transferring is so hard and they have so much to do and think about!
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