Today marks the end of a trying month. In the past 30 days, four gay teenagers have taken their lives as a result of bullying by their peers and indifference by the adults who possessed the power to stop it. This pisses me off, but even more so, it breaks my heart. It feels too self-important to say that I wish I had been there to talk to these boys, as though my words by themselves could have made a difference and they would still be alive if they knew how my experience improved over time. Yet, if instead there were a chorus of voices, preaching from all corners of the country that YES, there is life after high school and college and things do get better. This concept is exactly what struck Dan Savage, columnist of Savage Love, and his partner, Terry. Since their initial YouTube post last week, there has been a wave of similar videos sprouting up all over the interwebs (including one from the lovely Ciara-- Call me!) with the same message: It gets better and you will be more beautiful for your struggles.
While I would produce a video myself, I honestly cannot stand the recorded sound of my own voice and avoid video recording equipment like the plague. As an alternative, I included a video of Dustin Lance Black's Oscar acceptance speech for Best Original Screenplay in Milk.
Without fail, this clip makes me weep like a baby every single time I watch it. I wish I could have heard those words when I was 16, feeling so alone and miserably confused. So once again, to all you queer kids, "You are beautiful, wonderful creatures of value."
Life is precious,
IreneJK
P.S. Happy 23rd to my bestie, Shayna! Love you.
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1 comment:
God this was beautiful to watch and read. Love you Irene. Thank you for sharing this light in these dark times.
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