It Gets Better/ DADT

I don't talk a lot about civil rights on my blog, that I can see. It's a complicated subject that has gotten me flamed before, so I'm hesitant. However, I have a couple of things to share today. First, a few choice posts from my twitter account RE: It Gets Better and DADT, and then a copy from a LONG Facebook response regarding It Gets Better and teen suicide/bullying.

from twitter:

I find myself liking the It Gets Better campaign, but not just towards LGBT teens - there's too high a rate of suicide in ALL walks of life.

I wish DADT would just disappear already. How about everyone shuts up about their personal life but no one gets punished for bringing it up?

Facebook comment:

 My bipolar became pretty active during my teenage years, and it hasn't relented. Being medicated helps, but I do understand the suicidal urges - it's just now I can logically beat them. I couldn't do that when I was a teenager, and I never even had to deal with the public school system and the constant bullying (I was bullied once I was a teenager, but I had also done bullying of my own in the small amount of time I was in legit public school).

It really upsets me how kids treat each other, and how adults often treat kids. They can dismiss a lot of REALLY important things - and I have seen younger people I know go through a lot of the same things I did, but nothing happens because their parents are idiots.  

Being gay or trans in public school has got to be hell, and I seriously feel for anyone in that situation - but I know that hetero and cisgendered people go through it too, especially when there isn't another target to focus on. There's bullying for being "ugly", there's bullying for race, personal preferences, being in the wrong social caste or economic class... it's sickening.  

I don't know if there's much I can do about it. I try to talk to the people I know going through this stuff and be for them, but I think at this point, it's more about educating people about things - parents need to understand how to help without being pitying or dismissive or ignorant, and teachers need to step up when they see bullying, and other kids need to learn that bullying is WRONG. It just is.                

 

I watch Glee (and this is a random thing, sorry), and every single time Mr. Shu walks past the football players tossing Kurt (or anyone else) into a dumpster it just makes me rage. I get mad every time. It's that kind of ignorance and dismissive nature that lets violence and emotional cruelty be perpetuated until it leads to someone thinking there is no way out.                                                                                        

 

Humans are better than that.

What do you think?