Ironically, in my experience “virgin” isn’t far behind “faggot” as a term of abuse and insult. Rather than fight against the acceptance of homosexuality, why not fight for the acceptance of virginity? I know, I know. You get less publicity and you look like a prude. :rolleyes:
Damn it, it isn’t just gay kids who get picked on!!! I saw my best friend get picked on and teased mercilessly to the point where she had a nervous breakdown. She’s not gay; she’s just slightly physically and mentally handicapped, which means she wore leg and back braces, had a speech impediment, and thought a bit more slowly than most people. I’m not gay, yet I could not walk down a hallway without being insulted, often by total strangers including freshmen my senior year, ate lunch and rode the bus standing up despite there being empty seats because no one would let me sit next to them, and was generally treated like sub-human detritus. As a result, I thought I was ugly until I was in my mid-twenties.
The scars these “harmless words” leave are real. It’s been a while, but I remember what it’s like to feel less than human, unworthy of love or even simple companionship, undeserving of anything good in life even while desperately wanting it. I remember being hungry for acceptance of any kind. A few years ago, I joined Mensa. One of the things which was a wonder and amazement to me was walking into a Regional Gathering and having people I’d only seen once before be *glad * to see me and have me there. I was drawn in and made to feel welcome and accepted for the first time in my life! Is it any wonder I joined up?
I sincerely hope those groups opposing “No-Name Calling Week” aren’t invoking their Christian faith while doing so. I doubt that’s the case, though. You see, the reason I am such a loud-mouthed Christian is the local Episcopal Church was the one place in town where I could go and feel welcomed and accepted, rather than insulted and turned away. The acceptance and love they showed me made it possible for me to survive. Calling people names, insulting them, is a direct violation of the Commandment Christ gave us, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” If these people are so concerned with stopping people from sinning, isn’t violating that Commandment something they should look at?
No, of course not. You see, one thing I learned back in middle school is this. People like me don’t matter. People who are different by some quirk of nature, people who can’t conform or don’t want to conform because of what we’ve seen ordinary people do to our friends deserve whatever we get because we’re not like everyone else. We deserve the insults and the sometimes literal kicks. If I could just have stopped rebelling, become like the pretty girls in designer jeans who called my best friends all kinds of rude things, sometimes in church, I wouldn’t have had to deal with this and I would have been fine. Someone like me could only disrupt and threaten society, therefore it’s best I be encouraged to leave it, or at least isolated, no matter what form that takes. I won’t say “Thank God I didn’t buy that!”; I did. Fortunately, I got better. Please picture a very broad smile showing a great many teeth!
CJ