Equality at My High School

Aug 03rd, 2011 01:20 PM By Ruben

Hello my name is Ruben and I am a proud bisexual. I am 16 years of age and every single day I am scared to walk in the front gate of my high school. I know that people are just talking about me and saying mean disrespectful things and how they are trying to attempt to beat me up. I would like to say to the world that I am proud about who I am and I have come to realize that I am normal as any other human being.

My school is divided amongst cliques everywhere. Practically, there is not a safe place for me to be me. Either I have to wait til I get home or either tell my friends about my day. Just a couple of close friends know that I am bisexual, but the whole school doesn’t know nor do they need to know. I know that later on there will be equality for everyone at my High School.

Bullied to Run, Art Led Me to Fight

Aug 03rd, 2011 01:17 PM By Ashley Capo

I was first bullied in middle school, as most kids were. There wasn’t a bad thing I didn’t hear about myself. I was told I was a “lesbian” a “loser” a “slut”, although I never had feelings for women or even had a boyfriend until I was well into high school. A lot of the bullying I got was because within the my sixth grade year I had reached puberty and had jumped from a size A cup to a size double D in about 9 months. Boys would take notice of me in the halls and scream terrible things at me. A couple of boys even got together and managed to grab a hold of my breasts after a history class. It was devastating.

The boys in question were part of the “popular” crowd, so the last thing I wanted to do was tell anyone in fear that I would lose the little bit of coolness I had. I cried all the way home on the bus and didn’t tell anyone why. My mother wasn’t as convinced and was able to get it out of me that night. She was horrified and told the principal what had happened, although I had begged her not to. Nonetheless, those boys were suspended for about a week. Of course, this didn’t make things better with anyone at school. All the girls that liked them thought I was a liar and called me all sorts of disgusting names.

I decided I still wanted to prove that I was cool besides what had happened and tried out for the cheer-leading squad. I made it in, but the girls on the team had heard what I had done and made my life a nightmare. They would follow me everyday to the bus, throwing things at me and yelling terrible names at me. I quit the squad and told their coach why I was leaving. Nothing changed. No one was penalized.
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Schools Should Teach Kids to Give a Damn!

Aug 02nd, 2011 05:26 PM By Cheyenne

Hey, my name is Cheyenne and I am proud to be bi-sexual and I am damn proud to give a damn!

Where I go to school, 50% of the students there give a damn and the others don’t.

I have a friend named Chris and he is bi as well. Well, one day we were in the cafe getting our food. We passed a table and one of the kids said something along the lines of “hey, look there goes one of the biggest faggots in the world!” and laughed.

If Chris hadn’t said Chey just chill I would have said something.

The Obvious Silence

Aug 02nd, 2011 05:20 PM By Bailey

Ok, so I basically admitted to myself a year ago that I am proudly a lesbian. When my sophomore school year started I became friends with a couple really cool freshman whom I knew before, and turned out they were also either bi or lesbian. They were the ones who I turned to with questions and soon they all became my best friends.

Well, it was New Year’s Eve when I told my distant crush I was a lesbian. I trusted her with my heart and she never let me down, and on January 20th she admitted her feelings to me and we’ve been going out since. It felt too good to be true and I soon found out why. School was and is still hell, I haven’t been bullied personally myself, but I have noticed that 99% of the population are homophobes.
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Damn School System!

Aug 02nd, 2011 05:03 PM By Austin

Every year Mary G. Montgomery High School in Semmes, AL has an award ceremony for graduating seniors. All girls are supposed to wear dresses. For the same reason guys don’t want to wear dresses, two girls didn’t either. Both girls are smart and charismatic, but by both wearing nice suits, they had to sit out of the ceremony. They weren’t allowed to walk across stage to collect their awards, they had to receive them afterwards.

The students, and several teachers, have come together in a matter of hours to discourage discrimination. Many have confronted the principal, everyone has called the school board, and one of the victim’s younger sister is behind it all. She is in contact with the local news to set up an interview, started a Facebook page, and spread the word in a classy fashion. She’s kept her cool while fighting for what she believes in. It’s wrong on several levels, and should have been avoided. Who’s with me?

We All Have That Special Friend

Aug 02nd, 2011 05:00 PM By Anna

Hi, I’m Anna! I’m 15 years of age and a freshman in high school! I am bisexual and everyday I’m picked on for it. I can’t even hug my friends in public without being called a fag. My friend Bri is also bisexual. I had and still do have a crush on her. She’s so nice and lovable. She’s very cute. Everyday I run and hug her and tell her I love her and people at school see this and call me a fag, loser, homo, etc.

When I hear that, I get really depressed and Bri looks at me and tells me that she loves me and don’t give up faith. I don’t understand why people have to hate on gays, lesbians, bisexuals, and transgenders. It’s so annoying. We’re human just like everyone else we just have a different sexual orientation than straight folk. So why can’t they shut up and deal with it and love us like they love they’re straight friends. I Give A Damn and that’s my story!

I love you all!!!

High School Hate Crime

Aug 02nd, 2011 04:58 PM By Christopher

I went to a pretty big school, around 560+ kids per class, so there is no surprise that there was at least 1 or 2 gay people in school. This one hate crime was directed towards one guy, who was a friend of mine, and was the lead in one of the school plays. He had came out about 3 years prior, right around the time when he started high school. He was gay, and he was not shy about it.

It was pretty amazing since I have known that I was bi-sexual since I was 12 or 13 and was to afraid to come out to many people. I did not start to come out to friends until I was about 16 or 17. However, back to my story, one night after the first show of the play a couple of kids had gone to our school rock, a giant boulder out in front of the school that kids can paint to announce home football games and who they are playing, friends birthdays and so forth. The kids went to the rock one night and had written “God Hates Fags” on the rock.

The school quickly covered it up with new paint, however not before plenty of students had already seen it. This story flew thru the school like wild fire. The next day, a few seniors who were friends with the kid who the hate crime was directed towards, went thru the school and spray painted “Love” all over the school, on the sidewalks and the benches, etc. They found out right away who wrote “love” every where and suspended them and refused to let them graduate with the rest of the class and they would not get their diploma.
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My New Outlook on Life

Aug 02nd, 2011 04:55 PM By Nicole

A while ago, I learned that my nephew had taken his life because of bullying he was experiencing every day at his school. I unfortunately was not in his life for the past few years because I got divorced and he was on my ex’s side of the family.

I had reached out to my nephew many times prior to my divorce trying to help him overcome the pain he was enduring. I could feel the pain even though he was not sharing it with me. One time when I reached out to him, he gave me a bracelet he had made for me. He was a child of little words so I knew what that bracelet was and why he gave it to me.

I wish things could be different and I wish we could have saved his life together. Unfortunately, society, ignorance and for reasons we will never understand this child took his life. He has touched my life and will continue to be my drive to help others. This is my dedication to you.

I will never forget you! In my life, I have met some wonderful people that have pointed me to volunteer, better my life and try to make a difference. Everyone, no matter their sexual orientation, should have equal rights.

As a straight woman with many friends that are gay, bi, etc. This is my word to you that I am going to join you in this fight for Equality! “I will be your voice since you are gone”

Superbowl Fag

Aug 02nd, 2011 04:51 PM By Joshua

I know a lot of worse things could happen to me, but this one stuck with me. It was Superbowl weekend and, like most college kids, we were drinking (I’m 21 BTW) while playing beer pong. Well, after the game and a few more drinks we were still playing, the people I was playing with knew I’m gay. This one girl was and is a jerk, called me out.

She went on about how I’m going to burn in hell and that faggots shouldn’t be allowed to live. My best friend stood up and told her that she had no right and should leave. The “jerk” was still going off on me and my best friend and I told her to just leave because she was making an ass of herself. Things settled down and we got back to the party and we had a blast.

Later on though what she said really hurt. They say that sticks and stones may brake your bones, but words can’t hurt me, well that’s a lie. Words do hurt and can really scar a youth and an adult.

Sticks and Stones May Break Their Bones, But Names Will Hurt Them Too

Aug 02nd, 2011 04:25 PM By jordan

My name is Jordan and I’m straight.

When I first started middle school my main priority was to be accepted. So when I would hear other kids cussing or using slang I would join in to fit in with the “cool” crowd. One of the many words every kid used was “gay”. The word “gay” was always used for something that was stupid or annoying. I knew it was wrong for me to be saying something so terrible to fit in, but I was selfish and only cared about being popular.

This past September, I became a freshman in high school and I made three friends who were gay, yet I still used the term “that’s so gay” or “what a faggot.” About two months ago I was in class telling a story to some of my friends. Included in that story was one of my gay friends, then in the middle of my story one of my friends says to me, ” you mean the faggot?” I was so disgusted by his comment I couldn’t get it out of my head for the rest of the day.

That’s when I reflected on who I was and what kind of image I was making for myself by using the terms,”gay”,”faggot”, or “queer” so loosely and nonchalantly for things that I didn’t like. I learned a lot that day, about how strong words can actually be.

So whoever you are, wherever you are, I give a damn.