Intolerance Exists

In the years since the Leave it to Beaver era of the 1950's television show, here in the United States, intolerance has become less tolerated. At public places such as parks, libraries, restaurants, entertainment venues, and in the workplace, people of different races and ethnic groups have been able to coincide in peace and harmony. However people of other minorities — specifically the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgendered (GLBT) communities — are still forced into the shadows of small-town U.S.A.

In states and cities where there are larger populations, you can see they have made progress towards providing a more accepting and equal environment for all people. Whereas in many small towns, within schools and businesses, there seems to be little to no progress since this touchy issue came out into the open more than fifty years ago. I, however, am pushing for a change.

At the tender age of fourteen, I began to notice a difference in my view of the world, and in more specific terms, relationships. Unlike most people in my age group, I didn’t feel the need to be pushed into a closet. I wanted to feel free to express myself, my love, and my life. However, I didn’t realize that doing so would cause a state of emergency within my school community. After “being outed” in my town, I was treated as if I were a scumball who belonged in the filthiest gutter on the lowliest street in town. People who were one day my friends were my mortal enemies the next day. I went through weeks of people refusing to sit in the seat next to me, much less look at me or strike up a conversation.

Due to the mental and threatened physical abuse I endured during that time, I fell apart inside. School became an absolute nightmare. Waking up in the morning scared me beyond comprehension, and when the last bell rang, I was emotionally and physically drained. Crying was no longer a reaction because my tear ducts were dry from the amount of water that had previously poured out of them. I soon realized that no amount of choice verbs or any amount of pounding fists would stop their relentless tormenting, so I simply gave up. I drifted through my days, straight through the fog of harsh names and searing comments. Eventually the emotional poundings turned into emotional slaps, and then it stopped altogether.

Even though time has healed some considerable damage, I still feel that support would have made my experience and the experiences of future “outcasts” such as me a lot safer and easier to deal with.

I believe that every school, town, or at least grouping of towns should have some sort of support system for GLBT teenagers and their straight allies, such as a Gay-Straight Alliance. It would show great improvement over the barbaric behavior of certain communities in our country today. To get information on starting a Gay-Straight Alliance in any community, there are a variety of helpful Web sites to look at, such as The Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network (www.glsen.org), and The Gay-Straight Alliance Network (www.gsanetwork.org), amongst other resources. To all that have read about my experience, I pray that you have learned that all people — men and women — are created equally. I also hope that in an instance where intolerance towards any group of minorities is viewed that you would take the time and effort to try and put a stop to it. In doing this, we can, as a nation, make steps toward making America live up to its title of “land of the free.”

Amanda R., 15
Abington, Massachusetts

Reprinted from Positive Teens magazine, Volume 9, Issue 2, June/July 2007

{ Back to Commentary }