Incidents of anti-gay violence and bullying have been shockingly frequent across the country. On October 13th, a tragedy hit close to home. A 14-year old attending a Long Island vocational school was cornered and beaten by four older students on a school bus. You can check out the full story here.
For the past 16 years, I’ve worked at a Long Island not-for-profit that advocates for and provides services to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender or LGBT teens. It’s a cause that has defined my adult life in many ways. I believe we all have a part in making the world a better place. So many LGBT young people have no one to speak up for them, no one to care, no one to listen.
My work as an LGBT youth advocate crosses over with my work as a writer from time to time. I started this site as a place where I take off my social worker hat and express myself creatively, but the onslaught of hate and desperate acts by LGBT teens has penetrated the dual worlds I inhabit. Thirteen-year old boys are killing themselves under the weight of school abuse. Gangs of teens are raping and torturing gay kids in their neighborhoods to maintain a street code of masculinity. Politicians are spreading fear and hatred as a strategy to stir up votes.
The result of all these things bouncing around my head is an editorial published today by the Long Island Herald. Has anti-gay hate and violence reached a critical mass? I hope it has.
