I know this blog is supposed to be focused around makeup and beauty but there has been an issue blasted all over the media (for good reason) which is of particular importance to me. Bullying, specifically, homophobic bullying has become a recent epidemic and as a result of my upbringing I feel compelled to address this disgusting issue.
Growing up in Washington, D.C., I have been surrounded by gays, lesbians, bisexuals, transgendered people my entire life – some of my closest friends are gay. My best friend, Graham, is the absolute love of my life and has been openly gay since his freshman year of high school. I remember him telling me what a horrible experience high school was for him due to his sexuality – it got so unbearable that he decided to drop out of high school at age 16. My senior year I had a half day of classes and he would call me crying and begging me to come and pick him up. Just to clarify, Graham is no small, scrawny kid; he is 6’7 tall and muscular, he doesn’t act overly “flamboyant” and has always gone out of his way to be nice to everyone – so obviously I was shocked to hear of his hardships at school.
Kids are killing themselves at record breaking numbers and frequency; I will do anything and everything in my power to speak out and help end this devastating trend.
To tie this post in with the theme of my blog, I was taught how to do makeup from a drag queen and I worked with many transgendered people during my time as both a retail and freelance makeup artist. These people are some of the most creative, intelligent, and brilliant people I have ever met and I was and continue to be constantly inspired by them. These gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered people are children, siblings, grandchildren, artists, police men, congressmen, doctors, nurses, lawyers, teachers, etc. and they deserve to be treated exactly the same as anybody else – to deny them that basic human right is equivalent to racism and anti-Semitism; it is deliberately and maliciously disregarding the Constitution of the United States which guarantees each and every citizen certain “inalienable rights” which consist of “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness”. When these people are discriminated against, they are being raped of their rights, and being forced to participate in a sexuality holocaust. When kids, teens, or even adults choose suicide over living due to bullying those who have perpetually participated in the bullying of that person are responsible for their murder and should be held accountable accordingly.
Enough is enough. As the youth of the United States it is our duty and obligation to stand up for what we believe in and to ensure that change occurs. The people who are choosing to commit suicide feel alone and abandoned – as well-educated, informed, and productive citizens we have an obligation to ensure that these people know that they are not alone and that we, as a country, are not going to allow ignorance to pollute the fundamental human rights we all deserve.
It gets better.
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