Horrible High School

May 21st, 2010 02:51 AM By Andy

High school was at the same time a great experience and also a horrible one. I had friends and maintained a good GPA, but I also was picked on mercilessly for being gay.

Bullies in school were very bold and I would not only be harassed in the hallways, but even in class in front of the teacher. While walking to classes people would yell out “fag” or “queer.”. While in class I would have notes passed to me with crude drawings of two men having sex.

Once I went to my locker to get some books out, and when I opened it up dozens of pictures of nude men fell out all over the hallway floor. I did not use the locker very often so for a few days people had been slipping the papers in through the slots thinking I was getting one every day. Humiliated I ran to my next class and left the papers.

Teachers and administrators were not much help. Numerous times a teacher would be witness to my torture and never speak up, never say anything. Some teachers even made gay jokes in class! I complained to the school counselors many times and would not receive any help. Finally, I spoke to the vice principal who asked me if maybe I could “…just not be gay” and then I wouldn’t get picked on anymore. Classes got so bad that I stopped going to a few of them just to avoid being made fun of.

Sadly, like many young gay people, I had no support at home either. My father found out I was gay and forbid me from going outside, talking on the phone, hanging out with friends, anything that might allow me to “be gay”. Often times he would tell me that he hoped the guys at school would “beat the gay” out of me. Every night he would take me into his room and smoke a cigarette, blowing the smoke in my face, while berating me for hours. He told me he had to put his guns in storage because he was tempted to kill me to prevent me from being such a shame to God and him.

Eventually my father moved my brother and I to a new town, I think mostly to get me away from anyone that might have influenced me to be gay. Finally, I tired of the constant mental abuse from him and ran away. I moved from hotel to hotel, living room to living room, not really having a place to stay. Still, I finished high school and graduated valedictorian.

Gay teens need help. We have got to make sure they feel safe at school, as well as at home. I hate to think how many other young gay boys and girls had to go through what I did, and worse. Teachers and administrators need to be taught how to deal with gay issues and be more understanding. We need more places for teens to go if they get kicked out of their homes or are being mistreated.

Too many young lives are being kept from attaining full potential because of bigotry and hate. If we all give a damn, it will stop.

Full Circle

Apr 22nd, 2010 03:20 AM By Mikey

I grew up in a loving home with a loving family. When I came out of the closet there were a lot of things that changed the dynamics of that loving family. I ended up getting kicked out and moving into a homeless shelter for youth in my home town of Duluth, MN.

The staff there changed my life. If it wasn’t for them, I’d have been on the street. They taught me life skills that I otherwise wouldn’t have had. They also helped me come to terms with who I was as a young gay man.

My story has a happy ending. Two years later and I am now employed at the same youth shelter that I lived in. The frustrating thing is seeing all these gay, lesbian, transgender, and bisexual young kids being kicked out of their home. I don’t work with a very large group of kids, but a lot of them are GLBT teens who got thrown out of their parents houses like trash! All I have to say is- SOMETHING has to change.

Let’s start here.

People Are People

Apr 04th, 2010 12:24 PM By Melissa

I feel fortunate to have been brought up in a home where there was no “black and white” and no “gay and straight”…we were just people.

I have family members who are lesbian, friends who are gay, and students (I used to work at the local school) who felt comfortable coming to me to discuss their sexual identity issues above everyone else. I’m glad of that and so incredibly happy that I have these people in my life!

My family, friends, and yes, my former students, enrich my life and remind me every day that “people are people.” Now, I am a parent and my children are learning that there is no reason to shun someone for any reason. We’re not in control of the color of skin we’re born with, the sexuality we’re born with, or the color of the eyes we’re born with…we just are, and God doesn’t make mistakes…so no one is better than another.

People are people.

Serona, The Girl Who Gave A Damn

Apr 04th, 2010 12:06 PM By STEVEN

I grew up in a neighborhood in the 70’s when discrimination first reared it’s ugly head. As a kid my earliest memories were being care free, having fun and making everyone happy in my little world. At an early age the dark cloud of judgment was cast upon me because I was told that I screamed like a girl and in other words was “light in the loafers.”

Closed minded people made me realize that life was not as innocent and perfect as I thought it was. This was not an easy time for me and thinking about it now as an adult, it truly upsets me that other children are frowned upon and treated like outcasts. They are so young they can barely defend themselves. Children who go through that!! God I feel sorry for them.

I was lucky enough to have a best friend a few years older than me. Her name was Serona and she was a beautiful African American girl who unfortunately had sickle cell and a heart disorder. She was told that she would not live past thirty. Serona did not have an easy life, but she had a gift. She had humor, insight and compassion, and most of all heart. Serona was one of my first heroines that gave meaning to “Give A Damn.”

As young teenagers she urged me to protest with her for equal rights in San Francisco. Not long after we became precinct leaders for the Democratic Campaign for president. To make a long story short, I am so thankful for having a friend to help me feel comfortable in my own skin and am so grateful that I got a chance to know her for teaching me that even as a kid I can be proud of myself and stand up for what I believe in.