We live in a world where there is hate, violence, and judgement. We live in a world where bisexuals, lesbians, and gays are not accepted. We live in a world where African Americans are still treated like the lower class, the nobodies. This is the 21st century and with that being said, we've passed all those years when judgment and racism should've been left behind. No more slander or harsh words towards someone who is just trying to be themselves. We live in the 21st century; people need to start acting right and accepting the human race for what they are and who they want to be. We are all human and it's time we start treating our own kind with respect no matter the race, color, ethnicity, or sexuality.

This world shouldn't be about hate, it should be about kindness and love. It shouldn't be about racism, it should be about honoring family and friends who look and act different because different is amazing, different is bad ass. It shouldn't be about judging people for what they have on their body, it should be saying, "Hey, thank you for expressing yourself and your body because more people should have confidence in what they wear and what they look like and now you've just helped me be a more confident person." This is the 21st century, so applaud the guy who proposes to his boyfriend, congratulate the people who saved themselves from their own country and moved to ours so they could experience freedom for the first time, admire the person who has full body tattoos and piercings because if you think about it, one of those people will be the doctor who saves your sorry ass and when that happens I bet you won't think twice about their sexuality, race, or freedom of expression.

My peers and myself included are tired of our elders saying "Well back in our days tattoos didn't exist," "Gays and lesbians were never heard of because that wasn't popular back then." No, you're right. Things like that weren't popular back then because people were afraid to show who they really were, they were afraid to express themselves freely. Since when did tattoos and piercings define who a person was?

I have tattoos and will continue to get more but that doesn't define who I am because I'm still hardworking and down to earth, same with everyone else I know that have tattoos or piercings. When did having a different sexuality affect anyone else's life? Whether you're heterosexual or homosexual, it still doesn't change who you are as a person; it just makes you more confident about yourself. Teenagers my age are tired of hearing "you can't do [this]" or "you can't do [that]" because people back then didn't do things like that. We are the beginning of a new era and we will choose how we want to be expressed as people, as human beings.

So go out there and be who you want to be. Don't let judgment or criticism tear you down. Be proud of who you are and embrace who you want to be because only your opinion matters and anyone who tries to hate you or discriminate against you, then just remember they are problem not you.