Today is GLAAD's Spirit Day, a day to fight the bullying our LGBT youth face everyday, a day to wear purple and support the idea that words and images matter. As a child, I was bullied at school without mercy, and it wasn't until I reached Vassar that I realized life didn't have to be like that. The damage was done though, and throughout my entire life I've fought the effects of that childhood bullying, or terrorizing as I thought of it as I was going through it, including substance abuse and mental health issues leading to attempts to take my own life. And I had very supportive parents and family when I got home from school. I can't imagine what these children go through when their parents are homophobic and abusive as well. We, as a nation, really need to reach down deep in our hearts and make this a fair and healthy environment for ALL of our young people, but especially those fighting homophobia in their homes, schools, towns/cities and of course, online. We have lost too many promising young people to suicides in recent years because of bullying at the hands of hateful and bigoted homophobes.
It doesn't take a special day for me to wear a purple T-shirt, though. I own two, and wear them a few times each week. They're both from my "Lenny & Joe's" collection, lol. I have at least fifty T-Shirts from this local seafood restaurant, going back to the early 1980s. They come out with new designs in the spring and in the fall. Above, my purple T-shirts posed in front of some of my new pieces of art, as well as my dahlias and zinnias, still flowering profusely in the garden.
Wear something purple today!
AFTER READING THE ABOVE AND NOT EVEN KNOWING THE WORD GAY WHEN I WAS A YOUNG CHILD OR EVEN THROUGH MY TEEN AND BEYOND, I JUST WONDER IF THE BOYS THAT MAY HAVE BULLIED EVEN KNEW WHAT GAY MEANT. I CAN'T REMEMBER KIDS BEING BULLIED IN HS BUT MAYBE THEY WERE AND I DIDN'T NOTICE.WE LIVED DIFFERANT KIND OF LIVES. CHILDREN KNEW THEIR PLACE. YOU KNEW NOT TO TALK ABOUT CERTAIN THINGS. SEX WAS A NO NO. SO HOW WOULD WE EVEN KNOW ABOUT THE WORD GAY. YOU'D THINK GAY WAS JUST SEX. I DON'T BELIEVE THAT. I THINK IT'S MUCH MORE. WE LEARN A LITTLE MORE EACH DAY WE'RE ALIVE. SO YOU SEE CASEY WE ALL CARRY A LOAD BECAUSE YOU CAN BE IN YOUR 70 AND NOT KNOW EVERYTHING. I DO DISLIKE PEOPLE THAT THINK THEY KNOW EVERYTHING. EVEN STRAIGHT KIDS ARE BULLIED IN SO MANY WAY AS CHILDREN. MAYBE NOT BEING AS SMART AS THEIR FRIENDS OR A FAMILY MEMBER. OR MAYBE THEY DON'T LIKE SPORTS AND THE KID NEXT DOOR IS MORE POPULAR BECAUSE HE DOES. I LAUGH BECAUSE WHEN I WENT TO MY REUNIONS OVER THE YEARS, THE JOCKS WERE THE DRUNKS AND SOME WERE LOSERS. A FEW THAT I WASN'T CLOSE TO [WHAT SOME CALL NERDS] WERE LAWYERS AND DOCTORS. HIGH FIVE TO ALL OF THEM. SO YOUR GAY, WEAR THAT T SHIRT, WALK WITH YOUR HEAD HELD HIGH AND IF YOU SEE ME WALKING DOWN THE STREET IN ONE OF YOUR DREAMS COME OVER AND GET THAT REAL HUG I'M SAVING JUST FOR YOU. CASEY, YOU HAVE SO MANY PEOPLE OUT THERE IN THE REAL WORLD THAT I'M SURE LOVE YOU. LET ME BE THE FIRST TO SAY I'M SORRY YOU WERE TREATED LIKE A NO BODY BECAUSE YOUR SPECIAL. THOSE LOSERS NEVER MADE IT IN A MAGAZINE OR CREATED ANYTHING IN THEIR LIFE EXCEPT HATE. OH MY GOD HOW I WISH I COULD CHANGE PEOPLES' THOUGHTS TO LOVE.SOMEDAY MAYBE NOT IN MY LIFETIME IT WILL HAPPEN.
ReplyDeleteGRANNY
thanks, Granny, that means a lot.
ReplyDeleteYou're a great lady, Granny!
ReplyDeleteI totally support GLAAD Spirit Day, but I would like to add that bullying period needs to be stopped. Children (and adults) can be bullied for a variety of reasons and it's not always to do with sexual orientation.
ReplyDeletePerhaps the positive of all this is drawing attention to the issue of bullies and their prey, and taking a stand to stand up to bullies for whatever the reason is.
Thanks for the nice post Casey. And you know we 'little old ladies' always wear purple. ;)
I totally agree, Annie. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteMatthew Shepard was punished for being gay and beaten to death by two despicable individuals almost 12 years ago.
ReplyDeleteThe truth behind being a bully is that they hide what they are trying to repress.
I was bullied quite often when I was young up until today, perhaps in a different form from teachers, classmates, teammates, best friends and lovers. It has lead to emotional discomfort: panic attacks, suicidal thoughts, distrust, etc.
What's the cure for being a victimized?
There is no one answer, but I would have to say that you need to come to terms with yourself and love who you are unconditionally. The real victim isn't you; it's the antecedent or person that brought the problem on to you by their own weakness and misery.
The two boys that attacked Shepard must have had a previous history of not only being gay, but beating up others that only showed them the truth.