as someone that has had both experiences and knows others who are the same I can say that being bullied because you are gay/trans is soul destroying to the point were ending it all seems like a very reasonable thing to do, people can change their appearance, you cannot change who you are and that is the difference.
Of course, without a doubt, acceptance is increasing, even for kids, and anyone in their 20s-30s who is just raising kids now is unlikely to tell them that being gay is wrong. Homophobia will phase out over time as the old guard of ill-informed nitwits who still believe it's some kind of choice disappear. The next generation of adults after us will be the most accepting bunch yet. Hell, even over the last 5 or so years there's been big improvements. The future's bright, the worst is over.
but projects like this, though born of tragedy, can help educate the remaining knuckle-draggers about the dangers of their homophobic behaviour, and the consequences of their behaviour. But then again, if they're homophobic I don't suppose they care much. It worrying to see such ill-thought out posts on a thread about suicide.
You mean the point 2 people have made about 2 individual cases?
Google search bullying and suicide and you will see a myriad of cases touching all areas. The theme is bullying and helplessness not who you are.
This is a thread about the 'It Gets Better' campaign, if it was a thread about the charities, Beat Bullying or Bullying UK then yes I'd totally be contributing stories of kids tormented for different reasons, and who decide to end their lives. BUT it isn't, it's a specific campaign.
It isn't a competition about how many people killed themselves for one reason or another.
but projects like this, though born of tragedy, can help educate the remaining knuckle-draggers about the dangers of their homophobic behaviour, and the consequences of their behaviour. But then again, if they're homophobic I don't suppose they care much. It worrying to see such ill-thought out posts on a thread about suicide.
I agree with you totally. My point was not that the work is done, it's that rapid progress is well underway.
Projects like this are great catalysts. I genuinely believe that all that needs to be done is a widely-published, government-approved, scientifically proven statement that being gay is unchangeable and is an inherent feature. I know it's never yet been proven, but every gay man who's ever lived knows this is true. And there's no comeback from that - it would prove that homophobia is on a par with racism and sexism. From that point homophobia could become punishable by law and before you know it, it'll be a thing of the past.
There'll always be stragglers though. There'll always be racists, sexists, and homophobes - all of whom are equal idiots.
You mean the point 2 people have made about 2 individual cases?
Google search bullying and suicide and you will see a myriad of cases touching all areas. The theme is bullying and helplessness not who you are.
no the theme is getting bullied for being LGBT that is the theme of this thread, the theme of getting bullied is people getting at you for a myriad of reasons one of those that is most likely to push someone to suicide is being bullied for being LGBT and there are more than just two cases as well you know.
stop trying to belittle this serious topic
I can see this descending into 'my bullying was worse than your bullying'.
The point is that bullying isn't measured in terms of perceived severity, it's measured in terms of emotional cost to the child.
A gay child may have the I'm not taking your crap type of attitude whereas the one wearing glasses may be driven to suicide because of it.
Any iniative that aims to deal with bullying can only be a good thing but to start comparing the impact of bullying depending on the 'reason' is a nonsense. The impact depends on the individual reaction not the reason behind it.
no the theme is getting bullied for being LGBT that is the theme of this thread, the theme of getting bullied is people getting at you for a myriad of reasons one of those that is most likely to push someone to suicide is being bullied for being LGBT and there are more than just two cases as well you know.
stop trying to belittle this serious topic
Bullying is an issue anyway in schools - only an idiot would think otherwise.
Homophobic bullying is one particular problem which needs to be urgently tackled.
It was in all the manifestos, specifically, of the Tories, LibDems and Labour, and of the Greens.
and I could post hundreds of other links, but won't because our conservation is over. You are simply trying to belittle the critical importance of tackling lgbt bullying in schools, and having seen your other posts --- no amount of evidence will ever please you, and no amount of logical rational argument will make you change your views .... so I won't waste my valuable time trying.
A recent survey, and many other surveys before, both here, and in the US, all show that around 70% of young people who are gay report homophobic abuse at school. It has been described as endemic and epidemic.
Of course, It Gets Better is onto a good idea - what the government would be worthwhile doing is highlighting to kids that even if they do get bullied at school, that's not what the world is like and it'll be over soon. People grow up and homophobia is a laughably childish practice.
As someone who was once all three (now just gay, not ginger or bespectacled anymore) I can tell you which one got me bullied far and away the most. Clue: it wasn't ginger or glasses.
Also, the ginger and glasses were very easily changed, and I instantly binned both of those aspects as soon I was old enough. You're stuck with being gay.
Ginger hair is beautiful on the head, like to the point it makes me want to write poems, it's just the pubes that are gross.
Comments
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/10302550
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-461320/13-year-old-commits-suicide-repeated-bullying-Welsh.html
http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/34236377/ns/today-today_people/
there are many more sad examples.
of course there are examples, there are of everyone but you fail to see the point people are making.
but projects like this, though born of tragedy, can help educate the remaining knuckle-draggers about the dangers of their homophobic behaviour, and the consequences of their behaviour. But then again, if they're homophobic I don't suppose they care much. It worrying to see such ill-thought out posts on a thread about suicide.
You mean the point 2 people have made about 2 individual cases?
Google search bullying and suicide and you will see a myriad of cases touching all areas. The theme is bullying and helplessness not who you are.
This is a thread about the 'It Gets Better' campaign, if it was a thread about the charities, Beat Bullying or Bullying UK then yes I'd totally be contributing stories of kids tormented for different reasons, and who decide to end their lives. BUT it isn't, it's a specific campaign.
It isn't a competition about how many people killed themselves for one reason or another.
I agree with you totally. My point was not that the work is done, it's that rapid progress is well underway.
Projects like this are great catalysts. I genuinely believe that all that needs to be done is a widely-published, government-approved, scientifically proven statement that being gay is unchangeable and is an inherent feature. I know it's never yet been proven, but every gay man who's ever lived knows this is true. And there's no comeback from that - it would prove that homophobia is on a par with racism and sexism. From that point homophobia could become punishable by law and before you know it, it'll be a thing of the past.
There'll always be stragglers though. There'll always be racists, sexists, and homophobes - all of whom are equal idiots.
no the theme is getting bullied for being LGBT that is the theme of this thread, the theme of getting bullied is people getting at you for a myriad of reasons one of those that is most likely to push someone to suicide is being bullied for being LGBT and there are more than just two cases as well you know.
stop trying to belittle this serious topic
I can see this descending into 'my bullying was worse than your bullying'.
The point is that bullying isn't measured in terms of perceived severity, it's measured in terms of emotional cost to the child.
A gay child may have the I'm not taking your crap type of attitude whereas the one wearing glasses may be driven to suicide because of it.
Any iniative that aims to deal with bullying can only be a good thing but to start comparing the impact of bullying depending on the 'reason' is a nonsense. The impact depends on the individual reaction not the reason behind it.
You are quite right and I apologise.:o
AC
Bullying is an issue anyway in schools - only an idiot would think otherwise.
Homophobic bullying is one particular problem which needs to be urgently tackled.
It was in all the manifestos, specifically, of the Tories, LibDems and Labour, and of the Greens.
The Education Department has specifically highlighted it.
http://timtrent.blogspot.com/2010/11/uk-government-majors-against-homophobic.html
The ATL have highlighted in, specifically
http://www.atl.org.uk/media-office/media-archive/Homophobic-bullying-guide-needed.asp
The NASUWT have specifically highlighted it.
http://www.nasuwt.org.uk/consum/groups/public/@equalityandtraining/documents/nas_download/nasuwt_000233.pdf
The government have highlighted it to school, specifically
http://www.lgf.org.uk/government-tells-schools-to-take-homophobic-bullying-seriously/
and I could post hundreds of other links, but won't because our conservation is over. You are simply trying to belittle the critical importance of tackling lgbt bullying in schools, and having seen your other posts --- no amount of evidence will ever please you, and no amount of logical rational argument will make you change your views .... so I won't waste my valuable time trying.
A recent survey, and many other surveys before, both here, and in the US, all show that around 70% of young people who are gay report homophobic abuse at school. It has been described as endemic and epidemic.
Ginger hair is beautiful on the head, like to the point it makes me want to write poems, it's just the pubes that are gross.
In a thread about bullying? Really?
oh yeah sorry