Society = Fail

From The Advocate: School Official Wants Gays Dead

The article details the Facebook ramblings of a school official in the Midland School District in Western Arkansas. Clint McCance railed against the call to wear purple to support LGBT youth and the recent suicides that has been rocked the LGBT community and the world at large. His response is that the only way he would wear purple is if ALL homosexuals committed suicide. He goes on to comment that wearing purple honors their deaths, which are a sin, and honors that they killed themselves BECAUSE of who they are, which is also a sin.

Wow. He completely missed the impact of the recent suicides. Those children felt alienated for being THEMSELVES. They were BULLIED by their peers. We should remember that we ALL have feelings, whether we are gay, straight, black, white, green, purple, or red. Someone may not be like us... may be different than ourselves. This is no reason to ostracize someone. Our differences should be celebrated not attacked.

Those kids didn't commit suicide because they were homosexual. They committed suicide because they were bullied. Because they felt alone, like they had no one on their side. We, as a people, should be more tolerant and accepting of others. We can't fix every thing or everyone. We can't prevent every suicide. But we FAIL as a society when individuals are committing suicide because they are bullied by their peers.

To anyone who has been thinking of committing suicide: Don't. Things can and WILL get better. But things can't get better for YOU if you're not here to witness it. Hold your head up high and keep moving forward. As Robert Frost said: "The best way out is always through."

The through is rarely easy. But the getting there? Through the through? You will be stronger than you ever imagined.

It Gets Better.