Today I Wear Purple

I’m sure most people have heard about the recent suicides of Tyler Clementi and other LGBT teenagers in the United States. Tyler was outed as being gay on the internet in a graphic way by his friend at university. He committed suicide shortly after.

There have been several suicides of LGBT teens reported in the news over the past few months. Each had been bullied, abused, and tormented for their sexuality, actions, and mannerisms. 

The It Gets Better Project (www.itgetsbetterproject.com) has been working with actors, musicians, journalists, and people who have survived bullying in high school to promote the news that “It Gets Better.” Bullying and abuse from peers is rampant in high school, but there is life after high school, and you will survive and thrive.

Today, 20 October 2010, I, along with thousands of others, wear purple to commemorate the lives of those who felt hopeless, marginalized, and estranged because of their sexuality and saw no other way out. I wore purple to show that this is not OK.

It is not OK that teens, and people of any age, are made to feel that their sexuality renders them inferior. It is not OK that they are bullied and abused, verbally and physically. It is not OK that Christians and churches are promoting the belief that being a homosexual means being shunned and marginalized. It is not OK that schools, churches, and people everywhere are rigorously condemning homosexuality instead of the hurtful actions that leave real dialogue impossible - gossip, verbal abuse, and distrust.

Today I wear purple because I don’t want to hear of any more teen suicides. I wear purple because we are all equal, and it’s time to start acting like it.