Ready for the last installment of October Awareness? Good. Okay, here we go:
This week, I'm going to be talk about LBGT+ awareness. Why did I choose this week to be the week that I write on LBGT awareness and not the week of "Coming Out Day" - which is October 11? Because this is how I perceive awareness to be: during coming out day week, everyone's articles and Facebook posts were about LBGT awareness and about creating safe places in neighborhoods, school and what not. But then the conversation died down. So, this is my chance to bring it back - and to make the conversation last longer at a time when people aren't thinking about it like they were two weeks ago. This is what October is all about with the Awarenesses it brings to the table: it reminds people that there are all these issues still going on just before the holiday season, where (statistically) people feel obliged to do better before the end of the year.
In my last article (Bullying Prevention), I touched on the effects of not having safe places in schools with the story of Tyler Clementi, a Rutgers Student who was have an intimate affair with another man that his roommate caught on tape. Clementi committed suicide shortly after being teased and tormented. According to a study, about 94% of LBGT youth have had an experience where a person said cruel to them/about them or threatened to assault them/did assault them. The study was conducted because LBGT youths are twice as likely to even attempt suicide.
Why do people criticize and disrespect other people - I will never be able to understand. Some will say that according to the Bible, being homosexual is a sin. But I thought God was all about "loving thy neighbor" and spreading love in all forms? And last time I checked, getting divorced was considered a sin, too, so why do the people who protest at Gar Pride parades not protests at court houses where divorces happen?
Personally, I think that people bully LBGT people due t the fact that they are afraid of the change they bring to our society or that they believe LBGT love isn't natural (and yes, I have overheard/seen some posts that have brought me to this conclusion). Well, to you guys, you're wrong. The definition of love does not say that it is between a man and a woman.
And if you think that the definition of love had changed over time, you're wrong again. During the European Renaissance, poets described love as an overpowering force that took over the body mentally, spiritually and sexually - it still isn't suggesting how one should love.
And to the people who bully and tear down transgendered people, I get it. You can't wrap your mind around how one person could be born a girl and over time she becomes a he. It can be shocking; parents were prepared to take care of a little girl and then they have to shift gears and care for a boy instead or the other way around. But to that, I wish for you to come to terms with the idea of transgender-ness as "this person is still a person and they just need to feel comfortable in their own skin in order to get on with life. They don't need anymore discomfort from outside sources when they are suffering from so much internally."
What I think LBGT October Awareness is about is providing an open space in our society's mind for acceptance of others rather than fearing what change occur. The LBGT motto is #LoveisLove because it is, love is unchangeable and it does not pick and choose its suitors.Love is for everyone, so share it with everyone - it doesn't matter your race, religion or gender. This month, the LBGT movement is about creating safe places for LBGT and other people associated or unassociated to feel safe and express themselves. A safe place for people victims of Domestic Violence to come forward without fear; for survivors of Breast Cancer to come forward and explain how upset they are that such a horrible and terrible disease affected them in so many ways; for Bully Victims to come forward and stand up to their oppressors and end their reign.
So what do you say, my dear reader, will you create a safe place for your peers, you friends, your family could all live in? Tell me, how will you accomplish this?
I hope after reading this article, after the end of this month, you continue to spread love - whether or not you are doing it for awareness.
