The Purple stripe in our Rainbow Flag represents Spirit and that’s exactly what we're going to show on that day: SPIRIT.
To all LGBTQ teens out there, please know that times will get better and that you will meet people who will love you and respect you for who you are, no matter your sexuality.
Please wear purple on October 20th. Tell your friends, family, co-workers, neighbors and schools. R.I.P. Tyler Clementi, Asher Brown, Seth Walsh, Justin Aaberg, Raymond Chase, Billy Lucas and Cody J. Barker (picture not shown). You are loved.
The tears come whenever I look at their pictures. Such a waste, such a terrible waste.
And so it goes.
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I didn't know about this day. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteOne look at those images and one cannot help but see intelligence, humor, impishness, fun, hope, ... life. Agreed. Such a waste!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the heads up.
ReplyDeleteWe were all teens and know how difficult being a straight teen is let alone gay. The real shame is that these young men felt so isolated and devoid of support from people in authority that they had no other option than to kill themselves. Until our county ends the official sanctions of discounting gays in this country by continuing to support DADT and DOMA, tragedies like these gay teen suicides will continue.
Oh my God this is sad. I didn't know this day existed but I heard about this and This is so sad. Spirit is all we represent. For our love. I will wear purple on this to represent them because I know how they felt. I'm gay and I am harassed about it all the time that I want it to stop, but I just put up with it. I hope my purple will help wih such a saddend day.
ReplyDelete:( \
- Alex
@Alex: Thanks for the visit and comment. Like you, I was harassed relentlessly, but I found ways to get away from it. You will too, if you look for a safe place.
ReplyDeleteI don't know anything about you; your age, circumstances, etc., but feel free to keep in touch and share what you feel you can without divulging more information than you want to.
Be aware that if you choose to wear purple on the 20th, you may be in for more harassment, depending on your situation. Whatever your choices, be true to yourself.
Again, thanks for commenting and stay as strong as you sound.
Just emailed all my friends, Family and co works. And it's on my Facebook too. Thank you
ReplyDelete@ Cornelio: Please pass it on as you wish. Thank you for your added support and commitment.
ReplyDeletethis is a beautiful thing that you are all doing. in our world, it is also very appreciated. tragic but infinitely amazing. thank you all.
ReplyDeleteSo lets just mourn only the suicides of 4 kids who happened to be gay an were bulled for it. Not any other kid who commits suicide or any student who commits that most tragic act cause of bullying for any other reason. Let's just focus on these 4 because they share one social stigma -.- yup sounds like a pretty solid idea
ReplyDelete@Vince: As of today there have been 8 such suicides, but, all teen suicides are a horrible tragedy. Truth is one third of teens suicides are related to being (or perceived to be) GLBT.
ReplyDeleteYou're assuming that these are the only kids we mourn today. Not so. All troubled teens who saw only one way out will be in thoughts and prayers around the world today.
A friend drowned himself at 13 because his father was violent and he just couldn't take any more pain. There were no support organizations in the 1950s. At least he ended his pain.
Thanks for the comment.
People who just see this day as mourning the recent tragedies aren't seeing the big picture. These are recent, so they stand out more but today is about all those who end their lives because of the abuse they receive.
ReplyDeleteLGBT teens just receive the most and go through a lot of difficulties because sometimes they are all alone, disowned by family, friends, society. It's a hard thing to bare as a teenager, especially when your emotions are already high.
Every suicide is a tragedy and if someone wishes to ignore the LGBT side of it because they feel it's all about them, then use the day to mourn the straight teens who were bullied and thought the only way out was to take their own precious life.
Mourn those who thought the only way to escape was to take the most precious thing away. These boys could have been something amazing and ignorance and hate took that away from them.
Today people should think how they treat others, how their words could affect someone they are around. If they could be the last straw for a vulnerable teen to take his/her life.
I'm thankful to have had the fortune to not be discriminated against because I am a lesbian but I know people, my fiancée being one, who have thought of taking their own life in their early teens and who were abused, even molested but for who they love. It's the hardest thing for a developing teenager to bare and my heart goes out to those boys, to the sons and daughters who thought the only escape was to end it permanently.
They will be missed and I hope people know things always get better. There is always a light at the end of the tunnel. You will always meet someone who understands and twill never leave your side.
I am a 50 Yr old survivor of a suicide attempt. Looking back I can realize how lonely I was, and the way I was driven to feel as though this was the only way out. Family support is everything, and when your own family tells you that you can't be who you are, and you realize that you can't change who you are, you are put in a place that's not too good.....
ReplyDeleteLuckily I survived, and have never looked back on the lifestyle changes I have made within myself. Why can't people realize that no-one would come out as a gay/les/trans/bi unless they felt that it was important to them as a "whole person".....Teens need support!!!!!