Speaking Up

So, unless your head has been in the sand for the last few weeks, you know that there has been several young people who have taken their lives over bullying. And you know there are a lot of people, famous and not, speaking up about bullying and how it needs to stop. You are also seeing people make correlations to the laws that prevent equality and the belief that those inequalities justify behavior toward those minorities in the minds of those who bully. I am not going to pretend that I have any idea what is in the minds of those who bully - we all know that kids can be mean, they don't comprehend how deeply their words and actions can reach and there are many reasons beyond gender and sexual identity that people bully. But, as we have learned so many times before - ignorance is not an excuse and I am speaking up to bring awareness to an issue that we cannot afford to ignore - one life lost is one too many.

Last night, I went to the Kaleidoscope Youth Center last night to interview for volunteering there. What an amazing resource for young LGBTQ people in central Ohio. With a variety of activities to engage the youth, as well as opportunities for them to talk, share, play, vent and relax, this is an organization that is working every day to make a difference for youth in our city. I was reminded again that Columbus is an amazing city, with so many great organizations working hard to support various groups within the community. I left there so motivated and inspired to give back. As I have shared before, I have been incredibly lucky in my own experience of coming out and I realized that I have something I can give back. I can give back support, mentoring and engagement with those who miss out on that in their home or school lives. Once I clear all the stuff (background check), I will be jumping into volunteer opportunities with this organization. One person making an effort - I believe it will make a difference.

Then, tonight I watched a video of a city councilman from Ft. Worth, Texas - he took almost 13 minutes at the city council meeting to address the recent suicides from bullying and to share his own story, one that he had never shared before. Now, I think anyone who shares a personal and emotional story has courage but a city councilman in Ft. Worth, TX? From where I sit, it seemed that the odds of support were stacked against him. And he inspired me to write this blog post because here he is, one person making an effort to make a difference.

See, at the end of the day, we are all so much more alike than we are different and that is what I hope we can find our way back to - the knowledge that we are all human and we all deserve to be treated with respect. I don't have to like or agree with everything about you, but I should still be able to show you compassion and acceptance as a person. Such a big goal but I do believe we will get there. So, next time you see or hear something that doesn't sit right - speak up, show kids that courage is possible and show them that there are people who are on their side, in their corner and hopeful that tomorrow will be better than today.