Our country shows children that it is okay to deny rights to LGBT individuals through anti-gay legislation. Their lives seem less worthy. Not all states allow them to work openly and safely or have an equal right to housing. Even our President denies them a level of equality and expresses the danger they can bring to the so-called American "family." The Matthew Shepard Act, which would have strengthened existing hate crimes laws to include actual or perceived sexual orientation, gender, gender identity or disability, was removed from the Defense Reauthorization bill on Dec. 6 after it had been approved by both the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate. President Bush had long promised a veto of the bill if it included the hate crimes provision and the House-Senate conferees concluded that there were not enough votes for its passage.
We must stop showing our children that hate is okay. We must start showing them that we are a country of tolerance and acceptance. Remember that whole "land of the free" bit. "All men are created equal" ring a bell?
In a recent statement put out by GroundSpark, a non-profit organization that created The Respect For All Project facilitating the development of inclusive schools and communities that are free from bias and prejudice, Executive Director and Academy Award winning documentary filmmaker Debra Chasnoff says "It's a horrific reminder that harassment of and violence toward gay, lesbian and gender non-conforming students is still a serious problem in schools across the country and it starts at younger ages than most adults realize." As we reported earlier, this year marks the re-release of the educational documentary by Chasnoff entitled "It's Elementary - Talking About Gay Issues in School," which helped spark a movement to make schools safer places ten years ago. "One of the most important things we can do is support educators and parents to pro-actively help young students cultivate understanding and compassion for everyone, regardless of their sexual orientation or gender expression," continued Chasnoff.
In June 2006, South Carolina adopted the Safe School Climate Act which is set to prevent school harassment, intimidation or bullying, though it doesn't include any provisions regarding real or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity. The laws we pass send young people mixed messages. It is wrong to treat others badly, yet it is okay to be prejudiced against a certain group of people when it comes to other legislation. We must start by making a difference in our own actions in order to lead our children toward a brighter, healthier and most importantly, safer future.
The Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN), a leading gay rights student organization, has announced that King's murder will be one of the central themes of this year's annual Day of Silence on April 25.
OUT & ABOUT
Saturday, March 1 - T-Time, the local Transgender discussion forum meets at 7 p.m. on the first Saturday of every month at The Center Project, located at 307 Highway 15 in Myrtle Beach, followed by a transgender film series at 8 p.m. This month's selection is the 1992 British film, "Just Like A Woman." A small donation to TCP is suggested. For more information call 626-4953 or visit www.thecenterproject.com.
Until next week, have fun and be safe.
-Chris Rudisill, Weekly Surge