The clip above is from Ryan James Yezak, a film maker in California. The clip is titled “I Want to Know What It’s Like” and it addresses the plight of those who are bullied and/or discriminated on because of prejudice. It’s a moving video, narrated by actors speaking in poetic verse. The purpose of the video is to raise funds to shoot his film Second Class Citizen. The film is a documentary and according to Yezak, it will:
…encompass all areas in which we are discriminated against. The general population is not aware that discrimination against the gay community goes beyond marriage & bullying. There is far too much hate directed towards our community and I want to capture that hate on camera. In addition, I want to explore where this hate comes from, why it continues to exist, and what we must do to get rid of it. A better solution is needed because the solution we have right now isn’t working fast enough.
I hope you enjoyed the clip as much as I did, and I can’t wait to see the documentary.
I came across this video while surfing my usual blogsites of interest, and it was too good not to share.
Sixteen year old, Marcella Fruehan wrote this song because, as reported on Towleroad, she wanted “to express [her] feelings in support of anti-bullying. As a 16 year old I see a lot going on around me; especially with bullying and the effects that it has on those who are bullied and what lengths teens will go to to ‘get away from it all. I want you to know suicide is never the answer. Truth is…you are loved, you are not alone…you are never alone.”
It’s a good song and video. Take a look for yourself.
Many of us have often wondered just what is at the root of the hatred some homophobic men have for gay men. They attempt to berate us, bully us, intimidate us, and flaunt their “masculinity” in front of their bros just to prove how manlier than us they are.
Well, as Queen Gertrude from Shakespeare’s Hamlet said, “I think the lady doth protest too much.” Their strutting and bully tactics have caused many gay men to conclude that these homophobes hide secret man on man sexual desires. After all, sometimes you hate what you can’t have the most, right?
Wouldn’t you know it, Psychology Today reports about one study that seems to prove just that!
In this study,
“heterosexual men [were asked] how comfortable and anxious they are around gay men. Based on these scores, they then divided these men into two groups: men that are homophobic, and men who are not. These men were then shown three, four-minute videos. One video depicted straight sex, one depicted lesbian sex and one depicted gay male sex. While this was happening, a device was attached to each participant’s penis. This device has been found to be triggered by sexual arousal, but not other types of arousal (such as nervousness, or fear – arousal often has a very different meaning in psychology than in popular usage).”
Can you guess what the results showed? I bet you savvy readers can!
Both the homophobes and the non-homophobic men sported woodies when viewing lesbian and straight porn, but when watching some good old fashioned American gay male porn, only the homophobes pitched tents big enough to comfortably sleep a battalion of men, something apparently they would be interested in!
So the next time you come across a homophobe, gauge how extreme his hate is. That should tell you just how much of a flamer he really is!
(Special thanks to K. for bringing this article to my attention! Smooches!)
Two brothers made a video on bullying for a school project. Eight grader Grant Viola and his third grade brother Drake star in this video that tackles bullying, saying “that’s gay,” and being stupid. The video was made in response to a homework assignment given to big brother Grant.
Seeing two young boys grasp a concept that some adults have difficulty with is promising. Kudos to both Grant and Drake!
The trial of Brian McInereny, the young man who shot and killed fellow middle school student Larry King in February 2008, has concluded. As reported on ThinkProgress, “McInerney will spend 21 years in prison, until he is 38 years old, and avoid a second trial.”
At the age of 14, McInereny pulled a handgun from his backpack and shot King in the back of his head because King allegedly acted flamboyantly in school. Now, at 17 years old, McInereny faces the next 21 years of his life in prison.
This story is beyond tragic. The lives of two young men have been ended because of hate and intolerance.
This is ridiculous because Limbaugh’s idiocy sound too much like blaming the victim. I remember arguments a few decades ago blaming a woman for being raped if she wore suggestive clothing. So since King acted too much like a girl, he was simply asking to be assaulted? Give me a break!
Limbaugh needs to not blame the victim or the school for an individual’s choices. No one forced McInereny to pack a gun for school that day. No one made him pull the gun out and pull the trigger. Those actions were McInereny’s alone, no matter how disheartening that is.
Two weeks ago, I posted about the Michigan State Senate passing SB 137, which sanctioned bullying in schools on the basis of “sincerely held religious or moral conviction.” Click here to read that post.
“But thanks to media coverage and a great campaign by State Senator Gretchen Whitmer, a Republican lawmaker has agreed to remove the religious exemptions language from the final bill,” as reported on Queerty.
I’m pleased to hear this news and also happy that Rick Jones, the State Republican Senator who added the “religious or moral conviction” addendum agreed to “drop his amendment and vote for the House version after critics said the language could allow gay, Muslim or other minority students to face harassment,” as quoted from The Washington Post.
Jones also said that “had he foreseen the controversy, . . . he would have removed the problematic language.”
I’m grateful when a politician realizes his/her mistake and does what is right to rectify it. Although the State Republicans “only wanted to protect free speech,” they understood the damaging ramifications of the amendment.
This just goes to show us that when our elected officials get something wrong, it’s up to us to make our voices heard. When we do, we are able to affect change. That’s something we should always remember.
In what can only be described as a cowardly political move, the Republican controlled Michigan Senate passed SB 137, which basically sanctions bullying.
ThinkProgress reports that the bill “not only neglects to protect students based on sexual orientation or gender identity, but creates a special exception for bullies who have a ‘sincerely held religious belief or moral conviction.’”
Basically, a student in Michigan schools can be bullied if another student, teacher, or administrator has strong moral reasons for tormenting a child. You have got to be kidding me?!?!
Are there adults elected to office in Michigan? Do they really believe that anyone’s religious beliefs give them sanction to physically or emotionally assault another individual? How is this any different than the Taliban or a jihad? Yet those individuals are terrorists and a jihad is a terrorist attack!
But according to Republican senators in Michigan (which passed SB 137 in a 26-11 vote), assaulting a child in school based on “religious or moral conviction” is A-OK! I guess as long as those beliefs are Christian based then it’s alright.
Do these people understand that a group of students in Michigan can form a Holy Crusade and beat the crap out of some gay kid, which according to SB 137, would be perfectly within their right? Those students would never be held accountable for their actions because they were simply following their “moral” convictions.
Democratic Senate Minority Leader Gretchen Whitmer refused to take the bill’s passage lying down. In a passionate speech, she made the following statement:
So this might solve a political problem that Republicans have. but be clear: You are papering over the problem that is a reality faced by hundreds of kids in Michigan schools every day. In fact, not only does this not protect kids who are bullied, it further endangers them by legitimizing excuses for tormenting a student. And the saddest and sickest irony of this whole thing is that it’s called ‘Matt’s Safe School Law’. And after the way that you’ve gutted it, it wouldn’t have done a damn thing to save Matt!
This is worse than doing nothing! It’s a Republican license to bully.”
Here’s her full speech if you would like to hear her lambast the Republicans.
The Trevor Project is a national organization providing crisis intervention for gay youth. At a time when more and more young Americans are ending their lives in part due to their sexuality, such an organization should be finding supporters from every corner of the country. After all, no child should contemplate ending his or her life even before it has a chance to truly begin. No parent wants that, whether they are pro- or anti-gay supporters.
Apparently, two family groups–The American Family Association and the Florida Family Association–disagree. As reported by ThinkProgress, the AFA and the FFA believe “that the Trevor Project is ‘recruiting teens and children to become gay’ through its suicide prevention hotline.”
Can you believe this?
The Trevor Project’s sole purpose is to provide a lifeline for the youth who are contemplating killing themselves. This organization and its volunteers have no hidden agenda other than preventing needless deaths. They offer a sympathetic ear for troubled teens. They aren’t looking to fulfill some recruitment quota like armed forces recruiters.
Still, the FFA is incensed that an advertisement for The Trevor Project is aired during a Teen Nick program called “Degrassi,” which features a transgendered teen, and they are angry at Target for sponsoring the ad.
Since the show’s focus group are teens, it makes sense for the ad to appear during this slot. The ad doesn’t advocate homosexuality; it offers hope to a struggling teen who might be watching the show and who might be contemplating suicide. And Target shouldn’t be boycotted for this, as the FFA is calling for in its form letter.
Target should be on the receiving end of praise not criticism.
Trying to prevent a child from ending his or her life should be the primary focus here, but once again, hate and ignorance reign supreme.
According to Mitchell Gold, founder of the non-profit organization Faith in America, religious leaders, who stand before their congregation and condemn homosexuality, are guilty of mental child molestation.
Here is why Gold believes this (as reported by ThinkProgress): “clergy people who stand at their pulpit and . . . speak about gay people as sinners and an abomination, that is bullying a young kid. That is really — and I know this may sound exaggerated — but that is nothing less than child molestation of a child’s mind. . . . It is devastating to a 14-year-old-kid to hear their rabbi or their imam or their priest or clergy person say that they are a sinner or an abomination…and I’m here to tell them, they are full and whole and wonderful and they will learn as life goes on that there are many, many people who feel that way.”
At a time when homosexuals are attacked by many religious conservatives, it is nice to see a religious man not only publicly support homosexuality but, more importantly, tell the gay youth of America that there is nothing wrong with them.
For these young people, their religious leaders are often next to God. Their words matter, and when the head of their church tells them they are going to hell, it hurts. I know this from personal experience as do many, many, many others.
I wish more religious leaders would keep the children in mind as they are preaching hate and intolerance. Gay children attend church too, and just as you wouldn’t want someone off the street attacking your child and saying he is worthless or she is going to hell, a trusted religious leader should not be allowed to do the same thing in a place for families or in a place about love.
