This fear is what will end up bringing us down, what future civilizations will look at as the destruction of our society.
On Monday, 22 year old Chrissy Pollis was beaten in a McDonalds because she was transgendered, by an 18 year old girl and a 14 year old girl. An employee recorded the incident on their cell phone. Another employee was heard to be yelling for the beating to stop, and a another woman tried to jump in to help Chrissy. What are we teaching our youth? What kind of example are we setting when, instead of calling the cops or breaking up the fight, we pull out a cell phone to catch it all on video?
This isn’t just our problem as the LGBTQ community. This is a global problem. And it’s not just about a trans-woman who was beaten. It’s about all the stupid violence caught on our fancy technology. It’s about everyone who has ever been persecuted for being different. Our kids are so immune to violence now that they don’t even think twice about someone kicking the living shit out of someone else. It’s entertainment. It’s something to boost their ratings and views on YouTube. It’s sick.
What business does a 14 year old have passing judgment on some stranger? My guess is, she probably has no idea what a trans-person is. Her “friend” probably called freak, and she went with it. We have a responsibility to the younger generation, whether we’re parents or not. Tolerance is not something that is born within you. It is something that is taught, just as intolerance is taught. Why is it so hard to teach that violence is not ok and that everyone needs to be accepted, regardless of how they differ from you? In watching Tuesday’s Glee, I think it had a fantastic message, accepting the flaws within yourself. But we need to accept the flaws, or perceived flaws, in others. It isn’t ok for a kid watching Glee to wonder why Puck would ever be interested in Lauren Zizes, the “big” girl of the group, or to wonder why Brittany would be interested in Artie.
Those who have a fear or dislike of those who are on the heavier side teach others that somehow this makes them less intelligent, less nice and of a lower class than skinny people. Those who have issues with Asians mark them as over-intelligent, cold and horrible drivers. Those who have a fear of anyone who even LOOKS like they may from the Middle East use words like “towel head” to describe them. Disrespect, fear and stereotyping are plagues that we spread every time we open our mouths to say something negative about someone else. Yes, the LGBTQ community seems to be on the defense lately, what with all the suicides and murders that make the news, but we need to look beyond us. It’s not all about our community. However, we need to start somewhere. Organizations like GLSEN exist to help with the education that needs to start early. Maybe if more schools had a GSA the tolerance of others would begin to spread faster than the intolerance, hate and fear.
My partner has 2 boys, one 8 and one 13. It stuns me to think that the oldest is about the same age as the girl who helped beat Chrissy Pollis in the middle of a McDonalds. We all have a responsibility, whether we’re a parent, step-parent, uncle, aunt, grandparent, godparent, whatever, to educate the kids we know and to eradicate any and all fear of the unknown and different from their minds. The second great kids turn into judgmental punks is a true loss. We need to support GLSEN and organizations like it that help promote acceptance in an environment where kids spend the majority of their time.
The trouble with fear is if it’s not nipped in the bud when it starts to form, it will fester into something much worse: discrimination and violence. It’s a much worse forest fire than Smokey the Bear could have ever dreamed of, and only we can help prevent it.