Vigil for gay youth Oct. 3, 9pm, Washington Square Park, NYC
Most students return to school in September with a mix of sadness that the summer is over and excitement about the new school year. For many LGBT students, however, the beginning of school marks the return to unbearable torment at the hands of bullies. Anti-gay bullying is epidemic in American schools: nine out of 10 LGBT youth report anti-gay harassment and six in 10 feel unsafe because of their sexual orientation.
In September, four middle and high school boys took their own lives in the face of bullying that could no longer bear. Another two teenagers, college freshmen, also committed suicide. On Sunday we will honor their memory and dedicate ourselves to the task of making our schools and our society safe for LGBT youth. Please join us.
Anti-gay bullying in schools starts with adults outside of them. Children learn to call each other “faggot” and “dyke” from somewhere. Adults model and condone the bigotry that feeds the bullies. So do the institutions that still discriminate and condemn gay people.
Our denomination (and so many others) is among the institutions that must bear a part of the blame for the tragic deaths of these boys and young men.
RMN Executive Director Troy Plummer wrote this today on the RMN Blog:
Permission is given to be violent against gay kids. Permission to bully LGBT people starts long before the first taunt is hurled or fist is swung. Permission is given by silence over incidents that then escalate.
In our United Methodist life, permission is given systemically in policy. Saying that homosexuality and Christianity are incompatible is violence. From policy to pulpit to pew to parents to persons, this injustice creates bullies who believe their faith favors punishment of people for the “sin” of being born gay. “Love the sinner; hate the sin” thought or spoken to folks over sexual orientation or gender identity is violence.
UMC minister Karen OIiveto posted this quote on Facebook today:
”Those who say that homosexuality and Christianity are incompatible cannot escape the consequences of that statement: homophobia kills kids. Theology is indeed a matter of life and death.” — Dr. Gary Brewton
New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn sent out an e-mail today that included the following suggestions in response to the anguished question so many of us are asking, “What can I do?”
- Reach out to the school you graduated from. Ask the staff and principal what they are doing to combat bullying.
- If you’re an adult who works in a school, be a visible source of support in your school.
- If you’re a student in school, get involved. Attend the next meeting of your school’s Gay Straight Alliance (GSA) – or start a GSA if your school doesn’t have one.
IF YOU ARE GOING TO CHURCH ON SUNDAY, the most important thing you can do this Sunday is start a conversation in your congregation. Ask people to come to the vigil on Sunday night. More importantly, ask each other what we as members of a denomination that brands gay people as “incompatible with Christian teaching” need to do to stop giving permission to the bullies. How do we stop the church from continuing to make our schools and our society unsafe for LGBT people? What actions are we called to take? What will we do to change the church?
Additional resources and links
Journalist Dan Savage has launched a YouTube campaign called “It Gets Better.” Viewers are encouraged to record and upload videos with a message for LGBT youth: It gets better.
Talk show host Ellen Degeneres recorded this moving and important message.
The Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network has expertise and resources for fighting anti-gay bullying in schools.
The Trevor Project is a LGBT suicide prevention organization.