Angels flying to heaven

Once again one of our younger members took his own life.

Total grief on yet another bright young person not being able to see that the whole of life isnt school, and that as bad as life currently is, once you're away from school, life does get ever so much better. And not just for the LGBT kiddos either. For the uber smart kids (who will most likely run our future world), the theater kids, the metal heads, shy kids, etc., etc, etc. Those years from 7th grade thru 12th for many of us was a painful period indeed. Where any sign of deviation from the accepted "norm" was dealt with by bullying, being ostracized, whisper campaigns and the like. The herd instinct is at its strongest during this age, and the need to be cookie cutter alike is the end all and the be all.

Superimposing that stage of human development with the general malaise of school districts refusing to take action to effect a change to stop the bullying of LGBT kiddos, is state and church sanctioned hate. We will never know the extent of harm that has trickled down into our youngest and most impressionable citizens, and I'm not only speaking about LGBT kiddos either. Children attend church where they hear the minister preach the mantra that God hates gays, they are unnatural and then even worse many cite chapter and verse the violent chapters about stoning them, plucking them from the breast of church and land. Parents watch the news and one hears politicians are railing against "special rights" for gays, and how the "gay agenda" is ruining our country. Common slang uses gay and fag as a put down for stupid or lame. Its day in day out indoctrination of hate, and children are sponges and absorb every last drop of this bitter bile. These children internalize the hate they hear, for the LGBT kiddos it erodes their fragile sense of self, for the straight kids it gives them carte blanche to relieve their frustrations by bullying the LGBT. In this unequal situation, the LGBT kiddos lose, again and again. First by the school administration refusing to see there is a problem, and two by creating a situation that highlights how little respect is shown for LGBT kiddos. Into the box of LGBT, I'm also tossing the kids who are straight as a ruler, but dont present as such.

Personally, I feel that one of the reasons that LGBT has come under so much hate within the last 20 years, was the vacuum of hate created by the Civil Rights Act of 1964. With one stroke of President Johnson's pen, it was the beginning of the end of state and church sanctioned hate for blacks. The NAACP jumped on any used of the "N" word in print, on tv or the radio, and within a surprisingly short time, it wasn't accepted word in polite conversation. And as time flows by, racial hate dims with each passing generation, no I'm not saying that blacks dont experience racism, but what racism does exist, its much less virulent and is illegal.

Societies for whatever reason, seem to need a scapegoat, and we are now it. LGBT are to blame for all our woes, for weakening marriages, turning our boys into sissies, and for inviting the end times to arrive earlier, on a side note....shouldnt religious people desire the end of time, so as to go and be one with their God? And of course the whole bathroom issue of women being raped by transsexual women....sigh. Not realizing that if the transsexual ladies entered the men's restroom their chances of being raped or assaulted are quite high.

Again and again cities, states and the federal government refuse to pass laws to protect LGBT folks. Instead of treating us like a valuable member of society, we are pushed to the fringes. When laws are passed that sanction discrimination, its a mind set changer for many. It takes an opinion that is oppressive and discriminatory and affixes a seal of approval, curtsy of our constitution, changing an opinion to fact.

The LGBT groups are trying hard to right these wrongs, to make heard to everyone that we are not pedophiles, not desiring to take over the country, not soulless beings, we are no different than they. And all we want, need and deserve is to be treated with the same respect as they demand, the same civil rights, the same as anyone else-period.

Kenneth James Weishuhn, you will be sorely missed, rest in peace little angel.

Sent from my iPad