Standing On My Pedestal.

Jun 18th, 2013 07:38 PM By Megan

I’ve grown up in Arkansas, not the most understanding or equality minded state. But because of my parents and my siblings I have grown up knowing the importance of equality.

It doesn’t matter that I have several friends that are gay, it doesn’t matter that they happen to be some of the most caring, wonderful, loving human beings I’ve ever known.

What matters is that discrimination in any way, shape, or form stops. We need to teach our children and our children’s children that we are all part of the same world and in order for hate to stop we have to start with ourselves.

Imagine if emancipation had never taken place, imagine if the Civil Rights Movement had never happened. Where would we be now?
We have to stop small minded thinking that just because someone is different or doesn’t live the same way means that they’re wrong or bad people. It just means that they’re different; and difference is what makes humans what we are.

Who wants to be a sheep anyway?

Your Silence Will Not Protect You

Apr 09th, 2013 07:14 PM By Catie

”I am not free while any woman is unfree, even when her shackles are very different from my own.”-Audre Lorde

While any human being cannot walk down the street unafraid of harm simply because of who they love, I cannot walk down the street unafraid.

While any person cannot share who they are with other people unafraid of discrimination and persecution, I cannot share who I am unafraid.

While any person is denied basic civil rights because of who they love, my civil rights are meaningless.

As Ms. Lorde said, my silence will not protect me. Refusing to share my story and my voice and give my support to my friends and my community because I am afraid of judgment and prejudice will not keep me safe. While any of us are unsafe, all of us are unsafe.

My name is Catie. I am bisexual. I am an ally to people of all sexual orientations and people of all genders. I will not be silent. I will speak until we are all free.

REMEMBERING MATTHEW SHEPARD

Oct 12th, 2011 02:36 PM By Admin

The following is a statement from Give a Damn Campaign founder Cyndi Lauper about the 13th Anniversary of the passing of Matthew Shepard as a result of a brutal hate crime in Laramie, WY.

Today is 13 years since Matthew Shepard’s death. His mother, father and brother, with the help of the late Senator Ted Kennedy, the Human Rights Campaign and President Barack Obama, worked tirelessly to make the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr Hate Crimes Prevention Act, aka the Matthew Shepard Act, a reality in 2010. To all of them, as well as the people who worked on and supported the first True Colors Tour, all the people who contacted their senators and representatives urging them to push the hate crimes amendment through, and all of the countless others who got involved – I thank you.

I had stopped believing for a minute that anything could really change until I got involved and became inspired by people who volunteer endlessly to work for change when things aren’t right. I know we can still change the quality of life for all, for the better. Funny what I remember sometimes. I heard Judy Shepard say once that Matthew had wanted to go into to politics. I guess in a big way he did.

GET INFORMED, GET INVOLVED

• Learn more about Matthew and the Matthew Shepard Foundation
• Learn more about Hate Crimes

NEW YORK CITY POLICE LOOK FOR HATE CRIME SUSPECT

Sep 26th, 2011 12:02 PM By Admin

According to CBS News New York:

“New York City police are searching for a suspect in an anti-gay sex assault and robbery in Brooklyn.

“Police say the 24-year-old victim was approached by a man who pretended to have a gun on Myrtle Avenue on Sept. 5. The suspect robbed his cell phone and asked about his sexual orientation.

“Police say the suspect berated the victim with anti-gay slurs– and then sexually assaulted him.

“The victim was taken to Woodhull Medical Center in stable condition.

“The suspect was identified as 21-year-old Julius Wright, also known as “Stinky.” Police ask anyone with information about the incident to contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS.”

GET INFORMED, GET INVOLVED

• Learn more about Hate Crimes

Gay (A Poem)

Sep 07th, 2011 12:11 PM By Willie

There’s something wrong with our way of thinking even as we play
Ignorantly insulting each other as we say
“That’s so gay”
It’s not okay

Because you’re insulting so many people without a single thought
Even without trying, you simply had bought
Into the idea that you weren’t, but you’ve been caught
In a web of discrimination, so saying you’re just playing is all for naught

There are people getting hurt without even a say
Because others hurt them and don’t want them to stay
Violence against them, they don’t ever play
All because they’re gay and others don’t think it’s okay

Think about the ones who’ve been hurt and died
Of the families who’ve screamed and cried
Never told a soul, “I’m okay,” they lied
Gave up on life because there was no place to hide

Be aware of what you’re saying before it’s too late
You might be justifying someone’s hidden hate
Saying it’s alright to deny their rights like Proposition 8
All because of who they love and who they choose to be their mate

Someone Who I Trusted

Aug 15th, 2011 10:43 AM By shawn

On Christmas Morning of ‘09, I was visiting my family for a nice Christmas Dinner, I was getting ready for a wonderful lunch fulled with Turkey, Mashed Potatoes, Veggies and so on. The only thing I truly cared about on this day is my family. My father, my mother, my brother, my sis-in law, my baby nephew (Sebastien) and myself. My father was gone exchanging a gift for my baby nephew, so he was absent while the incident happened…

I was in my bedroom getting ready for this big afternoon with the family. My brother came into my room and wanted to talk to me and so I said “Ok!” I was confused as to why he wanted to talk to me and then he said “I’m not comfortable with you being around Sebastien. I don’t want you to be around him anymore.” I looked at my brother and I just walked away in disbelief, obviously insulted and in shock of what he was saying. Then I yelled, “your not going to accuse me of something that I didn’t do” and he said, “I’m not accusing you of anything, I’m just not comfortable with you being around him.”

I looked at him and said, “why is that?” My mother was cooking food and was wondering what was going on. My sis-in-law was minding her own business because she knew how angry my brother can become. Then this explosion of hatred of me being gay came from my brother (I guess he was holding on to his feelings for way too long until he finally revealed his feelings towards me, I mean he knew I was gay for 2 yrs now). He was insulting and humiliating me in front of my family and my poor mother was trying to be the peace keeper in this situation. My brother yelled at her, “this is none of your business” with his hands up as if he was going to slap her in her face.
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Giving A Damn So Others Don’t Have To

Aug 12th, 2011 12:36 PM By Joseph

I’m a 16 year old sophomore and I can’t begin to say that I have the greatest group of friends in the ENTIRE world. I’m been aware of my homosexuality since sixth grade as confused as I may have been. Ever since I confided to the first person that I called my friend I’ve been able to become more and more secure with myself. Slowly but surely I began to open up to more and more people until I hit freshman year of high school. At this point the majority of people I bothered to call my friends (there were and currently are too many to count) knew of my sexual orientation. As a New Year’s resolution I essentially said “f**k it” and decided to immerse myself in what I knew I was, a homosexual young man. High school was never the same but I’ve always had friends to back me up. I’ve been lucky.

Now, openly gay and content with who I am I’ve seen the harsh reality and immense joy of being open with your sexuality. I’ve personally had to deal with the loss of many friends who didn’t agree with my life choice and I’ve been ridiculed beyond which no one should ever have to put up with. I’ve learned so much about who I am and who I DON’T have to be and I’ve overjoyed to know that no matter what I choose in life my friends, my family and anyone who has ever had the pleasure of knowing me will be right there by my side. My personal accomplishments with LGBT rights are few and far between, so small in fact that they’ve barely made a dent in the issue at hand in everyday life. However, I’ve bettered my life in High School by coming out as a homosexual, I’ve bettered the lives of others who have chosen to confide within me and I’ve bettered the lives of everyone who I’ve ever met by allowing them to say they’ve met a proud gay man who isn’t afraid to take on the world.
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“I’ll Fix You…”

Aug 12th, 2011 12:23 PM By Ashley

When I lived in Los Angeles, CA a couple years back I was in a loving committed relationship with my girlfriend of 3 years. I had placed a rainbow sticker on my back window. As I was driving to lunch one day I saw a car following me, “no biggie just going the same direction,” I thought.

As I parked I saw the man pull up behind me in his car, pull me out of mine and throw me against my vehicle. He pressed himself against me telling me that, “lesbians are women that have not gotten F**K** right and he will fix me right.” As I hear him say this, his hands are roaming everywhere and tears fall down my cheeks. I felt this is going to be bad, and I close my eyes to everything around me.

I feel a tug on my pants in the crowded parking lot and a voice that says “you’re going to love this!” As I’m waiting to feel something, I feel the man pulled off me and then onto the ground. A male onlooker saw what was happening, handed his child off to his wife and came to my rescue. The guy ended up getting a broken nose and loosing 2 teeth. When I looked up there were so many people watching and I kept thinking to myself “NO ONE HELPED.”
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Laughter

Aug 12th, 2011 11:32 AM By Keith

I’m 19 years old and going to college at LIT in Beaumont, TX. I have a relationship with the most beautiful person in the world. He just happens to be a man. One night, a year ago, after my classes I was on my way home. Now I usually have one of my friends drive me or I take the bus. However I chose to walk that night. Because that night was special. I had just told the love of my life, for the first time, those three precious, yet almost insignificant, words: “I love you.”

However, I was so absentminded in this ecstatic moment that I failed to pay attention to my surroundings. I let my guard down for the briefest of moments and this allowed two assailants to brutalize me. I blurred many times between the points of consciousness and comatose from the various punts to my head, the multitude of shuddering cracks that accompanies broken ribs, and the thunderous pop that indicates a joint dislocation.

They realized that my body had gone limp and there was no more “sport in beating on a quiet faggot.” I thought they would leave me to die on the sidewalk they had began their attack on… I was wrong. One chuckled and said “I know what’ll make his day.” They lowered my pants and began to take turns violating me. I screamed. I tried to kick, claw, squirm, bite, and punch. But my body had given out on me. I cried as they laughed.
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That Day in High School

Aug 11th, 2011 10:06 PM By Stephen

Well, I’m not sure how to start, so I’ll jump right in. I grew up in a very small town in the bible belt of the south. Good ol’ Alabama. I knew I was different from a very young age. I think I was about 9 when I realized I wasn’t like most boys. When I was about 11 or 12 I finally came to terms with the fact that I was gay. I still had to live the life of the country straight guy though. When I was 15 I came out to very supportive family and a few friends.

Going to high school I was harassed every day. Calls down the hall – FAGGOT, SISSY, C**K SUCKER. I would just hold it in and do nothing, say nothing. One day a guy started calling me names again and tried to start a fight with me. Finally, enough was enough and I fought back. He blackened my eye and bruised my cheek. I didn’t know what happened until I was in my car leaving school grounds. My fist was bloody and my face hurt. I got so mad in rage that I blacked out during the fight. I apparently broke his arm, cheek, and 4 ribs. I’m not proud of this at all.

Upon arrival to school the next morning I was pulled into the office and was suspended for a week. Turns out the guy that started the fight didn’t even get into any trouble at all. Gotta love the south.