Sexual Orientation

The Ad Council of America and the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN) launched an ad campaign, “Think Before You Speak.” The ads challenges people to consider how hurtful their language can be when the identity of someone is used as an insult. 

There is a growing generation gap when it comes to LGBT issues. A recent poll showed a roughly 50-50 split in public opinion over the issue of gay marriage. But when age was taken into account, the results shifted dramatically. Nearly six in 10 Americans under the age of 50 think that gays and lesbians have constitutional right to marriage.

September has been a grim month.  Three boys—15-year old Billy Lucas in Indiana, and 13-year olds Asher Brown in Texas and Seth Walsh in California—took their own lives after being subjected to relentless anti-gay bullying in school. 

And then, just one day before this miserable September ended, news came of another tragedy. This time, Tyler Clementi, an 18-year old college student, believed it was better to jump off the George Washington Bridge into the Hudson River 600 feet below rather than live through being outed and humiliated at the hands of his homophobic roommate who streamed video of Tyler’s sexual encounter with a “dude” for the world to see.   

Billy Lucas grew up an Indiana farm boy in Greensburg—halfway between Indianapolis and Cincinnati, Ohio. He grew up winning blue ribbons for his prized and much loved horses and lambs. He also grew up enduring taunts, threats, and physical abuse from bullies. He grew up with those bullies telling him he should kill himself because they thought he was gay. Whether he was or not, Billy never said.

Walking into class that September morning, I had no idea that one of my students would come out about her sexuality during the course of a class discussion. Neither did she. After previous class work with White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack by Peggy McIntosh, the conversation on that day was designed merely to explore heterosexual privileges.

See if this educational goal for first-graders offends you:

“Understand human beings can love people of the same gender & people of another gender.”

He’s tall, blonde and handsome. He’s also openly gay. None of that would be exceptional but for the fact that Kevin Keller is the newest character in Archie Comics. If you’re wondering, “Who reads Archie Comics anymore?” then chances are you don’t know any young teenagers.

Today marks the 15^th annual National Day of Silence, organized by the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN). This student-led civil protest will unite LGBT youth and their allies in thousands of middle schools, high schools and colleges nationwide.