Earlier this week my brother posted and article on his facebook. It's a lengthy read, but so sickening and so saddening that I couldn't stop reading. The article, "One Town's War on Gay Teens" from the Rolling Stones magazine, chronicles the bullying of LGBT youth in Anoka, Minnesota and the subsequent rash of teen suicides throughout the school districts.
The article essentially brought me to tears. It's a sad world when students don't feel safe in school, where adults are intended to be there to teach and to protect. I think it has become all too common to turn a blind eye to bullying, to teach hatred, and to choose to pretend that there aren't real issues at hand. It's near impossible in today world for a child to go to school and not feel the pressure of peer acceptance and the constant search for ones identity. This is certainly difficult enough without the added hatred that was spewed at these teens by peers and adults alike.
In the article it says, "I ask for a show of hands: How many of you feel safe at school? Of the 19 kids assembled, two raise their hands." That statement really hit home with me. Roughly 10 percent of all of the kids asked this question felt safe in school. School should be a place of learning and safety, not a place that imposes fear on those who attend it.
The hatred and ignorance shown by the faculty and many of the students in this particular area is certainly disheartening. At this day in age one would hope that people have learned from the mistakes in the past and want to avoid the tragedies that stem from such ignorance. Whether you agree with someone's lifestyle or not, they are still human. They still feel. They still deserve to live a life of comfort, not fear.
After multiple suicides and reforms, the school district established their first Gay-Straight Alliance. The Alliance is still a topic of controversy in the area, but the kids have had enough. They are tired of seeing their peers, friends, and siblings driven into such despair that they feel the desire to die is stronger than the desire to live. They know that words hurt.
As one student said, "I joined the GSA 'cause . . . I wanted to be nice and - loved." This story reaches beyond the realm of bullying over a teen's sexuality. It sheds a light on bullying of all kinds and the impact that words can have on a person's spirit. You should never take away someone's hope... it may be all they have.
I think it is a horrible thing when students don't feel safe at school. Recently, a girl from my high school committed suicide because she couldn't take the hazing she received for being a lesbian any longer. Everyone, including myself, failed to notice that she was hurting. I think we need to pay more attention to bullying as it is a very important issue.
ReplyDeleteI really think the world can be cruel at times. I am not a hippie, but I do feel everyone should be accepted for who they are. They should not be judged by the color of their skin, they religion they practice nor their sexual orientation. Stories like these make you wonder how the world could be different if we did not have prejudices and biases like these. I feel you raised an important issue and how many people still live in backward times regarding matters like this one. People should branch out to others and express compassion not hatred.
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