Do You Have Blood on Your Hands?

Do you have the blood of those whom have turned to suicide due to anti-gay bullying on your hands?

Well I will tell you who does.

Those of you who fight to deny gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people their rights, which includes the right to get married and to be protected against discrimination and crime.

Those of you who selectively read between the lines of the Bible just to justify your own hatred.

Those of you, who object and even prevent programs that teach tolerance and understanding in your children’s schools, are allowing these children to go unprotected from anti-gay hate speech and also physical violence.

Those of you, who hear, use or even allow others around you to use derogatory slurs like faggot, dyke, queer; these words are used as lethal weapons to torment and terrorize people until they think the only way to make it stop is to turn to suicide.

Those of you whom have gay friends, colleagues or relatives and yet remain outwardly silent, your silence is also to blame for those deaths caused by anti-gay bullying.

Where would you turn if all your life kids at school called you queer and faggot as they kicked and punched at you? Or when the people at your church kept saying that homosexuality destroys the family and violates the law of God? Or when you turned on the television the politicians were saying that openly gay people serving in the military or getting married will harm our society.

For me I interpreted these messages as evidence that anyone who identified as gay; be it gay men, lesbian or transgender; did not deserve to live so I turned to suicide.

It has been years since I admitted to myself that I attempted to take my own life over what people said and did. For the longest time, I was ashamed of what I did and buried it deep inside me so I wouldn't let my emotions get the better of me. So I sat idly by on the sidelines not saying much on the topic for the past year. But how could I live with myself knowing that those innocent children’s blood was also on my hands.

Because of my own fears and guilt, I allowed people’s bigotry and hatred go unchallenged. Well not anymore. I will not let those who oppose the equal rights and fair and just treatment make another person feel like I did.

I vow that even though I am just one person, my voice will not be denied and I will fight along side some great orginazations such as the It Gets Better Project (www.itgetsbetter.org) and The Trevor Project (www.thetrevorproject.org) to let everyone know that they are not alone and their life is worth living no matter what anyone says or does.

I just want to leave you with one finally thought. When someone says anything negative against gay, lesbian or transgender people, they are handing a loaded gun of justification to someone, and by turning a blind eye you also are allowing this justification.

So do you have the blood of those whom have turned to suicide due to anti-gay bullying on your hands?

-MJ