Derailed

I was going to write about the amazing experience of meeting Christine Lavin and being wholly entertained by her concert. But, recent headlines have put a pall over other, more joyful, events and my heart is heavy with news of teen suicides. Suicides that have run coast to coast, including in the heartland of Indiana, my home state. These particular cases are heightened because the kids in question were, or presumed to be by someone, gay.

Now, for those who are ready to get in an uproar about focusing too much on this aspect, of course I know that harassment, invasion of privacy, and violence can be directed toward anyone considered different or weak. Sometimes it’s about sexual orientation. Sometimes about race. Or intellect. Or income. Or any other spot someone thinks they need to poke. Cruelty is cruelty no matter who the victim. But, I think it’s naïve to think that sexual orientation, or perceived orientation, doesn’t play a part in a lot of this disregard for the right to live in peace. Do your own research to learn the number of people in America who have died because they were gay. Riots, murder, suicide when a person simply cannot bear a life of non-acceptance. Just because the idea persists that somehow, being attracted to someone of the same sex is terrible. In a nutshell, is it my business to know what you do, so long as you’re dealing with consenting peers of the same species? Not really. If you’re an adult, leave non-adults alone. Never do anything to anyone they do not welcome. These are simple guidelines, really. And, I can’t accept the “it’s not natural” argument. Wanna worry about something not natural? Worry about plastics in landfills.

In the meantime, think about the fact that we’re an amazing country that fights for justice the world over, yet we have these barriers in our own. We actually pass laws to separate fellow citizens…our American brothers and sisters. It’s shameful and it’s sad to me. I could never look a couple in the eye and tell them their twenty-year relationship is less valid because they’re a the same sex. I could never look a teenager in the eye and tell him that being attracted to other boys is wrong. Being a teenager and figuring out sex is hard enough. Again, stick to your age, stick to your species, and don't perpetrate any violence on anyone. I’ve listened with sincerely open ears to the anti-gay arguments, and I still don’t get it. I just don’t. But, I do still believe in a day when kids won't feel like they have to jump off bridges or hang themselves. I keep my eye on that day when tolerance will reign and we’ll spend more time going after those nasty plastics.