When I ended up at a high school where kids where not only welcome to be "out," but also protected from bullying by their straight counterparts, both my straight and gay classmates and I never lost sight of the fact that it was a utopia that did not exist in most schools. I promised myself I would always stand up for the oppressed. I've always been vocal about my solidarity with gay rights, but with the string of violence that *continues* to happen, it is more important than ever to stand up for the voiceless, the abused, and the oppressed.
I was touched by this video made by Caleb Flood-Goldstick:
How brave of Caleb to post this video and stand up for equality. I wish I had just an ounce of his courage.
This problem is not new. In many schools across the country, gay kids have always been dealing with more than just verbal abuse. Kids are being physically harmed simply for being who they are. What is finally on the news is a product of continuous abuse that goes back farther than my lifetime. When I graduated high school, I promised I would not forget this, but the problem has escalated to such an intense degree I never imagined it would. We must protect these kids.
On October 20th, I will wear purple to show my support for GLBT kids everywhere. It is the LEAST we can do. I hope you will join me.
This is not a political issue. This is a human rights issue, and there is nothing shameful about standing behind the oppressed voice in this argument.
No comments:
Post a Comment