Sunday, November 4, 2012

Bravery and Cowards

Paige and I were given the assignment by our fantastic psychology teacher to wear rainbow ribbons supporting gay rights for a day. The point of the assignment was to see the reactions of people that we came in contact with throughout the day. Of course, neither of us had any issues with putting the ribbons on and wearing them proudly, but I did have a problem with the prejudice that I witnessed first hand.

This activity made me realize how brave we both are.  We were not even slightly ashamed of our ribbons, and we never thought about taking them off or hiding them from sight.  Some people probably thought that the activity was ridiculous or stupid, but we didn’t.  We knew what we stood for.

I am so sick of hearing uneducated, ignorant people making assumptions about gay people just because they’ve seen a few words about homosexuality in the Bible. A book, let me remind you, that was written by men. If it were written by God then there would be a lot more Christians. But it wasn’t.

No one chooses to be gay. Why can’t people understand this? In a few decades, the people who went against gay rights will be looked down on. Do we not look down on those who went against the Civil Rights Movement? I know that I have posted time and time again on this issue, but I won’t stop until there is a significant change in our society. I will not stop fighting for the betterment of this country, because I know better. I know that you cannot choose who you love, just as you cannot choose what type of life you are born into.

Paige and I are brave. We are not like the cowards who cannot stand to think outside of their “comfort zones”. I know that people like us seem rare (teens with proper heads on their shoulders), but I can assure you that we are not. There are so many more like us. There are so many people who want to show people what love really is. Love does not mean to condemn. Call me crazy, I don’t care. I am passionate about what I believe in. I believe in love.

All that I ask is that you, most fantastic reader, can be brave with me.

How can you be brave? By taking part in any of the following:

  1. A Lesson in Prejudice: Wear a gay pride ribbon for a day like Paige and I did. Write about your experience on you blog, or email me through the Say, Sara page. Heck, leave a comment on this post!
  2. Be Loud: Protest! No war was ever won by being quiet and doing nothing. If you can’t make it to any peaceful, public demonstrations, write about it. Having a blog, Facebook, Tumblr, or Twitter account means that you have a voice. Make it a strong one! As always, link me in the comments to your post. I love to see people taking a stand for what they believe in.
  3. Illustrate: Post a gay rights blog button on your side bar. People love pictures. Especially when they involve rainbows.
  4. Take The Pledge: Go ahead, click the button. You know you want to.

There you have it. Four incredibly easy options for being brave and taking a step towards a better future.

Peace, love, and warm toes,

Sara

6 comments :

  1. This is a well written and beautiful thread. We need more like you and your friend. I applaud you!

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  2. Thank you so much, I really appreciate it.
    ~Sara

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  3. I think this is one of the best posts I read. I admire your bravery, above all because is one of the first things missing in myself. I talk a lot, but I don't know if I'd really do what I say..

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  4. I really applaud your courage and integrity. I never have the bravery to speak up in public, and am glad to hear some schools are supporting their gay students so well. A boy in my class who was the victim of relentless, violent and plain grotesque bullying came out whilst being beaten the other day, and I was never so moved by bravery.
    Good luck with the rainbow ribbons!
    :)

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  5. @Cassandra- All you have to do is find your voice. Never be afraid of what others will think of you :) And thank you!
    @Ginger- Our school doesn't support gay students unfortunately, my college psychology class does. I wish it could be every school, but it isn't yet :( That is both a sad and incredible story. I wish I could stand up more than I already do, but it is often very hard in such a conservative town and state.
    ~Sara

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  6. Some news:
    Unfortunately, in Rome happened that a 15 years old boy who was gay and used to polish his nails in pink, after being bullied for months committed suicide..
    So one of my mates decided to propose homophobia as one of the topics of our next assembly (each month in our school we do an assembly with groups who speak about different topics.)
    To protest, all the students, girls and boys, in the day of the assembly will polish in pink their nails.
    I know this won't give Andrea back to his family, but it's important to remember him.

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