What if it was Your Child?

Almost everyone knows the childhood rhyme “Sticks and stones may break my bones but words can never harm me.” Well I am here to say that sometimes words can be harmful. In fact, words can be more deadly than getting hit with sticks and stones for someone who is LGBTQ+. Words like homo, queer, or everyone’s favorite faggot, all words that seem like harmless fun but in the end can lead to something more serious.

Statistics from (http://www.speakforthem.org/facts.html) state that: “Suicide is the leading cause of death among Gay and Lesbian youth nationally. 30% of Gay youth attempt suicide near the age of 15. Gays and Lesbians are two to six times more likely to suicide than Heterosexuals. Almost half of the Gay and Lesbian teens state they have attempted suicide more than once. It has been conservatively estimated that 1,500 Gay and Lesbian youth commit suicide every year.”

To all the parents out there that are teaching their children that homosexuality is a sin and needs to be punished why don’t you stop and think for a second, what if that was your child. What if your son/daughter was LGBTQ+ and was bullied each and every day at school? Never feeling safe, always feeling alone because if they tell you, you won’t understand. How would you feel if your 15-year-old child was having thoughts of suicide and one night took their life? Think of the lives already taken due to all these hate crimes and bullying. Think of all the families who have lost their children and loved ones because of a stupid verse in a book written thousands of years ago. I don’t blame the children as much as I blame the parents because without your guidance and influences your children wouldn’t treat others this way.

A book filled with words of love and peace and his followers can only focus on the disapproval and judgmental verses. You worry about how other people live their lives and feel you are doing a justice deed; say you are doing it for the Lord. Well if that’s what you think then you and me are reading a different book. The bible teaches us to love thy neighbor and be kind to others even if the others are different. The bible teaches us not to sin and by abusing and killing the LGBTQ+ community you are not doing God’s work you are doing the Devils work. God does not inforce death. God does not inforce hatred or violence. It is God’s job to punish those he seeks to punish and it is your job to spread peace and love to all. We may be abominations according to Leviticus 20:13, but we did not choose this path. If given the choice, we would all be straight to avoid the abuse and the struggle of being LGBTQ+. But we don’t have that choice, we are who we are just like you are who you are. I am proud to be a member of the LGBTQ+ because at least we are a group that doesn’t encourage violence, we inspire love. You killing us and treating us like we’re unwanted does not stop us from existing and does not stop us from loving who we are biologically encrypted to love.

Some advice for all of my fellow LGBTQ+ community. Don’t let people’s words get the best of you. We are stronger and wiser than that. People react to others reactions. If we stand there and prove that their words are upsetting us and making us angry then they have one. Embrace the names you are getting called turn their negativity into positivity. We are not doing anything wrong people are just afraid of what they can’t understand. If they were in our shoes they wouldn’t feel the way they do now. We have a chance to live a normal life where we are treated as equals. The only time to act violent against others is if someone is acting violent towards you and its sense of defense and not violence. And self-harm and suicide is not an option. Self-harm like alcohol or drugs is just a temporary sense of control and solution. What we have to do is stand up for who we are and embrace the hate in order to spread the love. Don’t let them win, don’t let them control your life.