Monday, October 11, 2010
Bullying, Homophobia, and the Holy Monsters
I was trying to write my bully story, because after the recent deaths of so many bullied gay kids in the United States, so many others are speaking out.
I wish I could have talked to this kid for five minutes. I wish I could have told Billy that it gets better. I wish I could have told him that, however bad things were, however isolated and alone he was, it gets better.
So I figured it was my turn eh? Because if they can be brave enough to speak about things most people want to forget, so can I.
But then I saw this story.
The teenager hit him in the face and burned him with a cigarette on his nipple and penis as the others jeered and shouted gay slurs, the police said. Then the attackers whipped the man with a chain and sodomized him with a small baseball bat.
And I couldn't continue. Because I can't write about bullying when I'm angry. Not when it took so many years to drive the anger out of me. An anger that almost consumed me.
And still makes me want to bash bullies like those cowards in New York. Even though I now know that's not the right thing to do. And that if I did hurt them, I'd regret it for the rest of my life.
Because as hard as it still is for me to accept, those bestial bullies are only the pathetic tools of others. Those who send out and spread the message that gay is bad, demolish the self worth of children, and whether they want it or not, encourage others to attack them.
Those are the ones who make the wounds. Like the twisted old man who wrote this:
The proper reaction to crimes committed against homosexual persons should not be to claim that the homosexual condition is not disordered. When such a claim is made and when homosexual activity is consequently condoned, or when civil legislation is introduced to protect behavior to which no one has any conceivable right, neither the Church nor society at large should be surprised when other distorted notions and practices gain ground, and irrational and violent reactions increase.
Pope Benedict. Who would dare suggest that gay rights are to blame for anti-gay violence.
And all the other holy monsters who invoke the name of their ape God, to attack the good and the gentle. For they are the evil ones, whose perfumed hands are covered with the blood of the innocent.
Just like the Harper Cons are at least partially responsible for this wave of homophobic violence.
For sending out the message that gay people are second class citizens. And doing NOTHING to fight homophobia.
Oh well. I'm getting angry again. That's all I can write tonight. So I'll leave you with two videos.
One that shows that whatever the evil ones say about them, or whatever they do to them.
Gay kids are AWESOME...
And the other to show that while it does get better for gay kids.
Bullies are LOSERS.
So for them it only gets WORSE...
Hey. Whatever it takes to get out the message. Gay kids are good.
Bullies are BAD.
And if we want to end homophobic violence.
We must fight the monsters who make the WOUNDS...
Wow. Just WOW. That the gay kid who was bullied (for being nerdy, same as me!) survived and things got better for him, doesn't surprise me. But to hear from a former bully that his life hasn't panned out as hoped, that being an asshole doesn't pay...that was a surprise. So often we hear of people who claw (and punch, and kick, and name-call) their way to the top, and think that's the way to succeed. It isn't. Much more often, it's just the way to fail. That's a message that should be taught in school, dammit!
ReplyDeleteMy friend DJ is running a new site on this subject - you should check it out:
ReplyDeletewww.stopbullyingincanadianschools.com
hi Bina... the guy who made that last video is also gay, and his message is actually a parody. But a supportive one. And his message is absolutely true. Many bullies go on to have problems with violence later, abuse their spouses and their children.
ReplyDeleteBut yeah, they should teach the loser part in schools. It might get the attention of the bullies. There are so many things we can do but don't. I'm still happy though because there has been more coverage of the issue in the last ten days than there has been in the last ten years. So those poor kids didn't die for NOTHING...
hi Cliff...thanks for that link. And good for your friend that's EXCELLENT. Please give DJ a big hug from me... :)
ReplyDelete