Good for her. There is absolutely no reason in the world why a person, any person, should have to conceal his or her sexuality from the rest of the world. It is a personal matter, yes, but it doesn’t have to be a secret, or hidden, matter.
Just another “we are victims” PR piece. If they really gave a damn, they would sponsor self-defense classes for GLBT kids, not try to reprogram the entire population of the world with their PC groupthink. I got attacked far more often than most gay people when I was young, and I wasn’t even gay. So GLBTs get no sympathy from me. The best way to stop abuse of GLBTs is for GLBTs to (a.) fight back, hard, and (b.) do their best to blend in and avoid negative attention. That’s the rule for anyone being oppressed by bullies, not just GLBTs. And it goes for adults as well as kids.
I couldn’t, either. Advocating violence, whether in defense of oneself, or not, is just not appropriate. If people would teach their children that it is unacceptable to violate those whom we find objectionable, there would never be any reason for the victim to *fight back.* Not to mention the fact that fighting hatred and violence with, well, hatred and violence, only continues a cycle that is utterly unnecessary and indefensible.
As for the “blend in” part . . . that’s the advice? Stifle your individuality in order to appease the ignorant masses who are too narrow-minded or lacking in their own individuality to allow it to exist in others?
Nuts to that.
That’s why I am an ardent supporter of hate crimes legislation. If the ignorant can’t help themselves and refrain from being violent based on nothing more than bigoted intolerance, I am *all* for laws that will help them do so.
I had years and years of karate and won tournaments weekend after weekend. In other words, a helluva lot more than a self-defense class. And yet? I’d rather not have to defend myself. I could try if it came to it but:
1. You don’t know what kind of training your attacker has, and
2. you don’t know when a fist coming at you has a razor blade hidden in it (insert several other examples of possible hidden weapons here), and
3. sometimes you are attacked by 5 people, and you do have training scenarios like that in karate class, but I wouldn’t want to test the odds on the street.
Sorry being bullied gave you less compassion instead of more. Sad.
The best way to stop abuse of GLBTs is for GLBTs to (a.) fight back, hard, and (b.) do their best to blend in and avoid negative attention.
Marvin,
Sorry, I think that is twisted and sounds an awful lot like you blame the victim. If a woman is raped is it because she didn’t blend in. If a Jewish person is attacked is it because they just didn’t blend in.
Was Medgar Evers murdered because he just didn’t blend in.
Well said, Caroline.
It makes me sad that the majority of American’s are ignorant regarding this issue. If we could just teach our children to “live and let live” we could all live in a much more peaceful society. It doesn’t hurt me if you are gay. It doesn’t hurt you if I am gay.. or bisexual.. or heterosexual… or whatever. It doesn’t matter. It shouldn’t matter. The best we can do is to teach our children tolerance. Hopefully we can erase this prejudice in our lifetime.
i give a damn!! i LOVE this!! don’t pay attention to my tweet. LOVE this! like depeche mode said, way back in the 80’s…people are people…
who gives a rats ass about what their sexual preference is.
seriously.
Thanks for this post.
Like the others, I disagree with Marvin’s advice. I got beat up as a kid too, and not because I was gay (I blended in then as I do now), but because I was Asian in a small Midwest town. If anything, it made me more aware of how people should be appreciated for their differences. Ignorance is ignorance, and it needs to be addressed.
Marvin, don’t give me or any other member of the LGBT community your BS about how the we are trying to brainwash society. Walk a mile in MY shoes, stifling your who you are every minute of every day that you are outside YOUR home, and we will see how fulfilling of a life you live.
P.S. I live in the real world and while I like the idea of live and let live it is not how the world operates. It never has and it never will. There are people who will take advantage and mistreat you.
We have law enforcement and the military for this very reason.
Sometimes being nice is an invitation for more trouble. That being said I still teach my children tolerance for others. Different is not a problem unless it involves doing things that hurt others and that is where we draw the line.
Good for her. There is absolutely no reason in the world why a person, any person, should have to conceal his or her sexuality from the rest of the world. It is a personal matter, yes, but it doesn’t have to be a secret, or hidden, matter.
wait. whoopie is gay?
Just another “we are victims” PR piece. If they really gave a damn, they would sponsor self-defense classes for GLBT kids, not try to reprogram the entire population of the world with their PC groupthink. I got attacked far more often than most gay people when I was young, and I wasn’t even gay. So GLBTs get no sympathy from me. The best way to stop abuse of GLBTs is for GLBTs to (a.) fight back, hard, and (b.) do their best to blend in and avoid negative attention. That’s the rule for anyone being oppressed by bullies, not just GLBTs. And it goes for adults as well as kids.
Marvin, I couldn’t disagree more.
I just couldn’t.
I couldn’t, either. Advocating violence, whether in defense of oneself, or not, is just not appropriate. If people would teach their children that it is unacceptable to violate those whom we find objectionable, there would never be any reason for the victim to *fight back.* Not to mention the fact that fighting hatred and violence with, well, hatred and violence, only continues a cycle that is utterly unnecessary and indefensible.
As for the “blend in” part . . . that’s the advice? Stifle your individuality in order to appease the ignorant masses who are too narrow-minded or lacking in their own individuality to allow it to exist in others?
Nuts to that.
That’s why I am an ardent supporter of hate crimes legislation. If the ignorant can’t help themselves and refrain from being violent based on nothing more than bigoted intolerance, I am *all* for laws that will help them do so.
Wow. Self-defense classes. Seriously?
I had years and years of karate and won tournaments weekend after weekend. In other words, a helluva lot more than a self-defense class. And yet? I’d rather not have to defend myself. I could try if it came to it but:
1. You don’t know what kind of training your attacker has, and
2. you don’t know when a fist coming at you has a razor blade hidden in it (insert several other examples of possible hidden weapons here), and
3. sometimes you are attacked by 5 people, and you do have training scenarios like that in karate class, but I wouldn’t want to test the odds on the street.
Sorry being bullied gave you less compassion instead of more. Sad.
The best way to stop abuse of GLBTs is for GLBTs to (a.) fight back, hard, and (b.) do their best to blend in and avoid negative attention.
Marvin,
Sorry, I think that is twisted and sounds an awful lot like you blame the victim. If a woman is raped is it because she didn’t blend in. If a Jewish person is attacked is it because they just didn’t blend in.
Was Medgar Evers murdered because he just didn’t blend in.
Well said, Caroline.
It makes me sad that the majority of American’s are ignorant regarding this issue. If we could just teach our children to “live and let live” we could all live in a much more peaceful society. It doesn’t hurt me if you are gay. It doesn’t hurt you if I am gay.. or bisexual.. or heterosexual… or whatever. It doesn’t matter. It shouldn’t matter. The best we can do is to teach our children tolerance. Hopefully we can erase this prejudice in our lifetime.
i give a damn!! i LOVE this!! don’t pay attention to my tweet. LOVE this! like depeche mode said, way back in the 80’s…people are people…
who gives a rats ass about what their sexual preference is.
seriously.
Thanks for this post.
Like the others, I disagree with Marvin’s advice. I got beat up as a kid too, and not because I was gay (I blended in then as I do now), but because I was Asian in a small Midwest town. If anything, it made me more aware of how people should be appreciated for their differences. Ignorance is ignorance, and it needs to be addressed.
Marvin, don’t give me or any other member of the LGBT community your BS about how the we are trying to brainwash society. Walk a mile in MY shoes, stifling your who you are every minute of every day that you are outside YOUR home, and we will see how fulfilling of a life you live.
P.S. I live in the real world and while I like the idea of live and let live it is not how the world operates. It never has and it never will. There are people who will take advantage and mistreat you.
We have law enforcement and the military for this very reason.
Sometimes being nice is an invitation for more trouble. That being said I still teach my children tolerance for others. Different is not a problem unless it involves doing things that hurt others and that is where we draw the line.
glad you posted about this, jessica. and glad people are speaking out… and give a damn.
It’s about time. Good for her.