It’s our job.  I am sick, sad, heart-broken and pissed off.  Here is why.  I can’t believe that a community–not just a few idiots–but an entire fucking community could do something like this and think it’s okay.  I have been following Constance’s quest to attend her prom with her girlfriend in the clothes of her choice (she wanted to wear a tux).  And everything about it makes me sick and sad and angry.

It is no secret that I have a gay brother.  He’s been openly gay for as long as I can remember–he is nearly 4 years younger than me and officially came out around 1988.  It was certainly no surprise and he was lucky to have a loving family, great friends and a place (home) to be himself.  To be gay.  Most of his friends didn’t have that place as the late 80’s was no time to be gay with the AIDS panic that surrounded that community.  It was a hard time to be a gay teen–not that now is any easier.  He was also denied attendance to his prom by his high school.  There were no protests.  There was no court case–he didn’t really want to go and wanted to push the envelope.  But he was pretty popular in high school and most kids were cool with his orientation.

21 years later.  21 years.  That is a long time–we are still fighting the same fights.  The hate, the bullying, the blatant discrimination has to stop.  Parents it is our job and responsibility to teach our kids what is okay and what isn’t.  If you are homophobic and have strong feelings that it is a sin or wrong–then keep that to yourself.  Don’t make those decisions for your children–they cannot process that.  Those teachings lead to hate, fear and feelings of superiority.  That then leads to what is happening to Constance and what happened to those lynched from trees and to Matthew Sheppard who was beaten and left for dead.  We are different and have to accept those differences.  Sexual orientation is not a choice (not having that argument here) just as skin color isn’t a choice.  Neither of these things make one a bad person.  We must teach our children love.  We must teach them compassion.  We must teach them acceptance.

We have to stop teaching them hate.  We have to stand up for those who have little to no voice.  We have to teach our kids to stand up but standing up ourselves.  Teachers–you are the second line of defense.  Don’t let students use derogatory statements in class. Shut it down.  Stand up.  It is time.