What if Tyler Clementi never felt the need to jump from the Gorge Washington Bridge? What if Jamey Rodemeyer never committed suicide? What if Brandon Tina had never been raped and then murdered?
What if holds the ability to transport someone to a whimsical world. What if I could fly? What if my hair grew blue? What if everyone posses two left feet? It also holds an incredible amount of reality (not reality television though). A pessimistic person like myself more often then not focuses on that side of What if….. Like what if I slip and that knife cuts me? What if the person behind me decides to jump me? What if that car pulls out in front of me? Now it may seem paranoid, but I think things like this quite often. To me these thoughts keep me aware and ready to react to situations that could occur. One what if that I can not get over, one I can never seem to put in the back of my mind, what if our society stays this way? By this way I mean homophobic. I know, I know “Dani again with the gay topic”. (YES, SUCK IT BUTTER CUP). Yes, again with the gay topic and I hope by the end of this you will understand why. I started this blog with a paragraph about the suicide or murder of three different people. They all hold a few things in common, society would consider all of them young adults, all of them lay six feet under, and all of them identified within the LGBT spectrum (for those not so well versed that is Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender). If you cannot handle talk of death or inhuman situation, stop reading this post now. I refuse to water down what happened to all three of these human beings. They all experienced intolerance, homophobia, and ultimately death. Tyler Clementi jumped off of the George Washington Bridge after his roommate made his love life viral. His roommate Ravi set up a webcam in order to spy on Tyler as he was kissing another man. Ravi also tweeted and Facebooked about his disdain towards his roommate’s sexuality. After this Tyler Clementi jumped from the George Washington Brige killing him self on September 22 2010. Jamey Rodereyer posted a video to the “It Get’s Better” web page, a resource for teenagers in the LGBT community struggling with suicide, encouraging other teenagers that it gets better. Jamey, though, could no longer withstand the taunting he experienced and committed suicide. Brandon Tina identified as transgender. After moving to a new town Brandon began to date a woman by the name of Tisdale. Brandon’s “friends” discovered that Brandon’s inner gender identity did not match his biological sex. Two “friends” of Brandon, Lotter and Nissen, then took it upon themselves “correct” Brandon. They took Brandon to an abandoned area where they brutally raped Brandon multiple times. After Brandon filed a police report, Lotter and Nissen hunted down Brandon and shot him in the head, killing Brandon instantly.
I know I am writing another post about something to do with the LGBT community maybe someone out theere wants me to just shut up about my sexuality already. I won’t shut upm until my sexuality does not prevent me from marriage, or states see it as a suitable reason for me to get fired from a job, or states no longer make laws that allow bullying due to my sexuality. I am one of the lucky ones at school. I never experience bullying for my sexual orientation. I feel no need to hide my sexual orientation from my friends in fear of torment. I am lucky. I worry though, not about me, but about the kid who does experience harassment, who experiences bullying. What if our society, my society, or your society stays just the same? That person, that child, that son/daughter, that sibling’s name will land on the long list of students who died do to their sexual orientation. What if homophobia ceases to exist? Sometimes when I’m bored or about to go to sleep I find myself thinking about this. When I close my eyes I see myself married to a wonderful woman. We hold hands as we walk down the street, no one looks at us disapprovingly, I do not worry about passing as a guy in hopes that she wont experience hatred. I open my eyes though and suicide among the LGBT community still resided as four times higher then those who identify as straight. What if though….? What if…………….?
Cool links
Awesome Video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=ibVlVzGI9y0#!
Cool Picture/ Poem
http://chotpot.tumblr.com/post/20436491880/people-are-butts-about-gender-sometimes-so-here
Worst Thing I Ever Read
http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/one-towns-war-on-gay-teens-20120202
Austral receives Cool points
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_TBd-UCwVAY
I like
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lrJxqvalFxM&feature=related
Dani, your courage and passion will never cease to amaze me. I also consider situations like this, I want to help be the change but for some reason, I always step back because I feel like I can't do much of anything. This post slapped me in the face and gave me a much needed wake up call: I can help, I just need to act.
ReplyDeleteDani, do not ever feel like you should stop writing on "the gay topic" just to cater to a hateful audience. I'm glad that you have such a strong voice and passion for this subject, because we all need to hear it, homophobic or not. So many wonderful organizations out there work on decreasing world suck. And although you do this as well, you also are increasing world awesome at the same time. So thanks for keeping our moral compass in line and DFTBA: Don't Forget To Be Awesome.
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