Sunday, December 12, 2010

Picture Book Author's Note

           There are many kids who are gay in the U.S.  Most of them get bullied, which leading some to take the plunge.  Not only are the gays hurt mentally, but also physically.  In high school about 20% of gays are reported to be physically assaulted.  Middle school can also be a harsh time for gays.  It is like a time "everyone trying to figure out who they are in middle school." The people turn into vicious people, making them insecure and exploring the people's privacy.  The average coming out age is 13.4 years.  Which is really bad for the gays because they can get tortured a lot.  There was a case where a girl got a can hurled at her and was called bad things.  Later she killed herself, and was discovered by her little sister.
           When I went to choose my topic.  The topic that stood out to me was gay bullying.  It is a huge topic that led some gay people to take the plunge.  In school we had a assembly and watched a film about the life of a gay person.  It was a very depressing film about how a man tells a bunch of students about his gay life.  How he got beaten mentally and physically.  He had many thoughts of suicide and ran away from home twice.  Also he got beaten up so badly that he had to go to the hospital.
           Only people who are gay knows how it truly feels.  There are many strategies trying to lower the number of gays who get bullied.  But I think everyone deserves a chance, a chance to be like everybody else.  A chance to have friends.  Gays shouldn't be bullied just because they are different.  Everyone is different and different isn't always bad.  One day gays would have freedom and would be treated equally.

Work cited:
-Noveck, Jocelyn. "For Gay Youths, Middle School Can Be Toughest Time." The Call (Woonsocket, RI)
           12 Oct 2010: n.p. Web. SIRS Researcher.
-Bennett, Jessica. "From Lockers to Lockup." Newsweek Vol. 156, No. 15. 11 Oct 2010: n.p. Web. SIRS
           Researcher.