This post has been brewing in my mind for several days now. I've got a million words flowing through my brain, and no idea on how to organize any of it so that it makes a bit of sense, so I'm just gonna let it roll out and we'll see what happens....
I'm a republican and a fairly conservative individual. I swear like a sailor and can have a sharp tongue if I get upset, and by no means do I think of myself a saint. I consider myself a religious person and I believe in God. I was raised in a Christian home and now practice Catholicism. My family members are all pretty conservative people as well. I have a few gay extended family members, but no gay friends (that I know of, at least). I'm a no bull shit (please excuse the language... I warned you that I swear like a sailor) kind of girl. I don't tolerate lying or malice behavior with myself or those around me. I'll call people out just as much as I'll call myself out when something seems a little fishy. Some have called me harsh, crass, rude and even a bitch. I call it "telling it like it is".
One thing that I CANNOT stand is when people bully other. There is NO excuse for treating others like less of a human because you don't agree with their lifestyle, their sexuality, their weight or race, how they dress or whatever else people can dissect. Bullying is not okay. It should not be condoned. It is not acceptable behavior for anyone to display, no matter young or old. Do you remember that old saying "sticks and stones can break my bones, but words will never hurt me'? It's a big load of crap. Words hurt. They pierce right through the heart of the undeserving victim. They last forever even though they only take mere seconds to utter.
When I was a junior in high school, I was really struggling with navigating the path of who I was as a girl/woman, a student, what my future was going to be, and dealing with school and personal stresses. I didn't have any friends and I felt very alone in life. I didn't feel like I could talk to anyone about anything else other than maybe the weather. I was sinking within myself and couldn't figure out how to get out of the mess in my head. I couldn't handle the stresses of my chemistry class, so I convinced my parents and my school counselor to let me drop the chem class and fall into a physical science class that I'd be better equipped to handle. There was a guy in my class named Mike. Mike had Napoleon syndrome. He was a short, shrimpy little guy, but thought that he needed to make up for his lack of physical presence by being a smart ass all the time. One day during science class, Mike was being his usual smart ass self. I was annoyed with the snarky little comments he was making to my group and a few others in the class. I said something to him (can't remember exactly what it was) to let him know that he wasn't funny, no one was laughing at his stupid jokes, and that he needed to stop with the stupid childish shit (I'm sure I said "shit" a during the exchange). He then proceeded to say something to me that I will NEVER ever forget. He said to me, "why don't you just go home and put a gun in your mouth you stupid bitch!"...
For a few seconds there I had no words. And I'm not often at a loss for words.
I couldn't even believe what just came out of his mouth, or that any reasonable human being would ever even think to say something like that to someone else. After a few speechless seconds, I stood up in front of him. I'm sure I got his attention because of the fact that I towered over his meek little stature, never mind the fact that I was seeing red. I then said to him something along the lines of that he should never ever say anything like that to anyone because he doesn't know where that person is in life or what they are dealing with. I reminded him that words are hurtful, and how dare he think that it was okay to say something so awful to someone else. I know I scared the piss out of him because all of the sudden, the fear of God was in his eyes.
This happened in 2002. Almost 10 years ago.
This is just one example of how words can hurt people and how they last a lifetime.
Do I think every religion is right and correct? No
Do I think one race is superior over another? No
Do I think people are born gay? No
Do I think fat people should be treated differently than skinny people? No
Do I enjoy when homosexual people flaunt their lifestyle in my face? No
Do I think black people should be treated differently than white people? No
What I do believe is this... ACCEPTANCE
Every single human being deserves to be treated as a human being. I believe that people should be free to choose who or what they believe in, and they shouldn't be persecuted for that. I believe that someone who's gay should be able to enjoy life just like any other straight person. While I don't agree with, condone, or choose certain things for my life, I think we as a human race need to understand the concept of acceptance. While we don't necessarily choose certain things for ourselves personally, we have no right to judge or hurt others for being a certain way or doing things that don't line up with our own personal morals or values.
While I wont be marching in the next gay pride parade, I will continue to rally for this bullying and horrible treatment of people to stop. All this hate needs to end. Kids needs to stop committing suicide because they can't stand another day of hate at school. People need to feel comfortable walking the streets and not having to worry that they will be treated poorly because they are gay. We need to support each other and not cut each other down. We need to become a more peaceful people rather than going though life half-cocked and on the defense for the next opportunity to hate on someone.
I'm steeping off my soap box now... If you made it to the end, I thank you for your time. For those of you who didn't, maybe you're the ones who should have read this more than anyone else. I hope this made some sense. Lets make tomorrow a better day.
