Em's First Blog

Hello Readers,

Thank you for checking out my blog. I figure if I am going to be a journalist when I grow up, I might as well practice my writing, and website design. I feel like there are so many issues out there today that should be covered, but one in particular tugs at my heart strings, and does (for me at least) get personal. That topic is LGBT issues. If you read anything I post on Facebook than you know what I mean.

Yesterday, I was reading these stories that children were either committing suicide or in one case, murdered, because of bullying. I was bullied in middle school. I know what these children have been through, and how they feel hopeless. In fact, if it wasn't for my parents I probably would have been murdered or done something more drastic. According to wxpi.com "in 2007, nearly a third of students ages 12 to 18 reported having been bullied during the school year, according to data on more than 55 million students compiled annually by the National Center for Center for Education Statistics." Children will bully each other over anything, this is true, but when you get called a "faggot", "queer", and "homo" like 17-year-old Eric Mohat simply because he was involved in the theater and music program in high school instead of football. This bully was even so bold to say "Why don't you go home and shoot yourself, no one will miss you." The issue here that really bothers me though is this: the bully would say this in front of the teachers, and the teachers would do nothing. Faculty involvement could have stopped the bullying that eventually leads to Eric Mohat going home and committing suicide. Then there is the use of said homophobic slurs that make me shutter even when said in a joking manner. People don't think about what they say before they say it, probably because they think it's funny and not out of hatred and bigotry.

Then, there is the cases of kids like 11-year-old Carl Joseph Walker-Hoover, who also commited suicide after bullies used anti-gay slurs. He was just eleven. Did he deserve to die, because he may have been different? Or how about someone like Angie Zapata, who was transgendered. How would you feel if you grew up feeling like you were born into the wrong body? Not only is there the confusion, but on top of that being teased mercilessly. Angie Zapata, on July 17th, 2008, was brutally murdered in her apartment with a fire extingusher. Did she deserve to die? What about Ryan Skipper, Matthew Shephard, and Sean Kennedy? Sure they were different than their killers, but did they deserve to die? Finally, there is the case of Lawrence King, who was shot to death because his murderer had a crush on him. Lawrence King was only 15-years-old.

These victims had their whole lives ahead of them, but they were taken away, because of bigotry. It's not an agenda! It's not recruiting. The earlier we teach children about tolerance of all races, genders, sexual preferences and religious beliefs then maybe the world will be a little safer..as a product of bullying in school, I understand what it's like. I would not want my child going through the same harassment I went through in school. The FBI documented 135 bias incident based on based on sexual orientation in 2007. How many Matthew Shepherds have to die for people to care? 1? 10? 100? Children spread the hate in school because it's what their mom's and dad's teach them..children don't make it up on their own.