BREAKING THE SILENCE

            Today I need to talk about one of the most important topics not just to LGBT people, but also, to all of our nation’s youth.  After watching last week’s episode of Glee, the impact of teen suicide hit me hard.  To be honest, I’ve never experienced this problem so I never really thought it was important enough to write about.  Maybe other people think the same and that is why there is so much silence on the subject, but I am here to tell you to make some noise!  Let people know that teen bullying is not okay.  Words can hurt; they do hurt, so this has to stop now!

I have been fortunate enough to have supportive friends and family who have always accepted me for I am even before coming out.  I never had to face the reality of bullying, but I still realize the problem now.  Why is it that our nation’s youth are being tormented for being truthful for who they are?  This nation should recognize the importance of honesty and parents should be teaching their children the importance of tolerance at an early age.  If you are a teacher, don’t let your students get away with bullying someone for who they are, even if you think that it is “just words.”  Those words have the ability to kill.  They can make a person feel so worthless and not loved to the point that they take their own life.    

So for those of you out there who are being bullied, these are my words for you.  You have to tell someone what is happening to you; a school administrator, a clergyman, a parent, a sibling or anyone who can help bring a stop to this because you know what? You are important! You are important to your family, to your friends, to your acquaintances and even me.  You deserve a chance in life to do great things and I hope you do.  I know sometimes words can suck, yeah they suck a lot, but never give up hope.  Right now people make fun of you for being yourself, but pretty soon, those differences will be embraced by the people you meet.

I hope someday that you have a chance to make a difference in the world because there are so many changes out there that can be made.  You can be the change that could save another person’s life that is having the same problem that you had.  Let these hurtful experiences in the present become the fuel to your future.  Do something great with your life!  There is laughter to be shared, songs to be sung, knowledge to be gained, art to be made, people to be met and life to be lived.  Your time is not up, so don’t give in.  Prove to those bullies that you can rise above their hatred and do something spectacular.  Give other people hope.  You are important, you are unique, you are brave and you should never give that up.  Not everyone in this world can possess those traits, but you do.  I hope that someday I can meet you and you can tell me about the wonderful life you have.

If you ever need someone to talk to, please call the Trevor Project at: 1-866-488-7386 and visit the It Gets Better Project website and watch the videos; they’re inspiring: http://www.itgetsbetter.org/.