“Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” Even for people unaware of what this piece of legislation refers to, it is obvious by even the name of the piece that something isn’t right with the equation. With no explanation, it is obvious that this piece of legislation has been set in place to avoid conflict, however at the same time it impedes on the right of freedom of speech.

          Now let’s get into what the legislation actually refers to. In 1993, this piece was put into motion, restricting soldiers from being allowed to ask anyone if they were a homosexual, as well as restricting them from being permitted to admit to being Gay. If a solder were to do either of these things, drastic measures would be taken. Some as harsh as being kicked out of the U.S. military!

          In late December of 2010, however, the repeal of DADT was finally passed. The fact that such a prejudice law was ever placed into motion in the first place is what gets to me. I don’t understand how people can be so blatantly cruel. So what if a fellow officer is gay? Does that make them any less of a soldier? No. They are still putting their lives on the line for the good of the country. These wonderful people are being repressed despite the fact that they are probably better human beings than half of the country.

          I am pleased to know that the policy is no longer in effect, and it brings hope to the LGBT community, and assures that this Gay Revolution is well on its way to securing equal treatment of everyone, no matter the race, gender or sexual preference. We are moving up, slowly, but surely. 

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/12/18/dont-ask-dont-tell-repeal_5_n_798636.html

          Sometimes in this world… there are times when we must take a step back and wonder if we’re doing things “right.” We need to take a second to see if humanity, the thing that separates us from being “just another species,” is being upheld. In the case of the Westboro Baptist Church,  protests are held outside of the funerals of gay soldiers who have been killed outside of the Iraq war. The message is that “It is good that these solders died because America is too tolerant of gay people.”

          The family of deceased Lance Cpl. Matthew Snyder was fed up with this Kansas church taking advantage of such a vulnerable state that they decided to file a lawsuit against the group, alleging invasion of privacy, intentional infliction of emotional distress and civil conspiracy. If you ask me, this family had every right to do so. After winning the case in 2007 and receiving millions in compensatory and punitive damages, the Westboro church decided to appeal the case and take it to the Supreme court. They actually ended up winning the case this time around.

          Despite the unfixable emotional damage caused and feelings ignored, it is not a surprise that the U.S. government sided with the Church. The first amendment guarantees a freedom of speech by law. The court did admit that the act was extremely distasteful and that they were apologetic for the pain inflicted upon the family, however “you can’t penalize people for expressing their 1st amendment rights at a respectful distance. Even from a funeral.” When I hear this, what got to me was the part about “respectable distance.” What respect is there in tearing apart a person’s lifestyle purposely right around the corner of their funeral? I just don’t understand. Shouldn’t something as awful as this be labeled as hate speech if nothing else?

          The U.S. government has some shaping up to do, and while some of these laws and amendments were put into place to protect the population as a whole, some are causing justice to slip through the cracks and it simply isn’t alright. 

          A lot of the arguments against the equal rights of LGBT in the community begin with statemets such as. “What will happen if…” or “How is this right? We were always taught….”

          A famous quote by Suneidos sums this reasoning up just about perfectly. “We fear what we do not understand.”

          This is just about how every controversy begins. Abortion. We do not know for certain whether or not life begins at conception. Race. The reason for racism and prejudices is a misunderstanding. People are used to what they know, and when something or someone new is thrown into the equation that they’ve never seen before or that they don’t understand, they get thrown off track. Religion. We don’t know how we got on this Earth. Some people find religion to be their safe haven and answer to this difficult question. Because without an explanation, there is nowhere to turn to for an answer, and a simple “We don’t know how we got here” just won’t set well with many people. Sexuality. It has been understood since we were children that the prince marries the princess and they live happily ever after. To think of a possibility where that prince doesn’t find the perfect princess for him, and rather he another prince that makes him much happier than a princess ever could… That’s just too much to handle for some. Because we don’t understand it.

          I can see why some people might be uncomfortable with the topic, or even scared of it. The truth is though, that it does exist. People don’t have to agree with it, but the least they could to is learn to respect it. 

          “My child would never do that,” is the overheard and overused response so many parents have when the subject of bullying is brought up. The fact of the matter is... bullying DOES occur on a daily basis, and both the child being bullied, and the bully are someone’s kin.

            I’ve posted a link below to a site that shows MSNBC’s Dateline coverage over what the boys involved believe is an athletic competition, while really it is all a set up, with cameras all around, actor bullies and a victim in place, and parents of the unknowing children in a nearby room watching the footage. The child chosen for the role of the victim is a real-life gay teenager, who has actually witnessed these hate crimes in real time, and still has to deal with the stresses of being himself in daily situations. The whole point of this exercise was to take a closer look at bullying, and how kids in real life would react to watching someone tormented right in front of them. The independent variable was using different scenarios each time – for example the first time the bulling is done when the coach is away, another is when the coach involves himself with the bullying in a supportive way, and another being the coach defaming the act of bullying. The dependent variable was whether the oblivious middle schoolers watching the bullying take place would involve themselves in the bullying- either in a positive or negative light- or if they would simply watch it happen.  

            I was actually pleasantly surprised at the over-all results. Most of the time, the boys did not get involved, and actually tried to change the subject quite a few times. When the coach chimed in, however, a student involved in his football team at school named Brandon starts to agree with the things that the bullies are saying, and even “fist-bumps” with the bully. His mother, like every other, never thought her child would do that, but things change once adults leave the scene. Adults are the role models of those who are younger around them, whether they know it or even like it.  Another occurrence that was actually quite positive with the experiment was one in which the bullying took place when the coach was gone. One kid even goes so far as to separate the two bullies who are ganging up on the “girly” and “sissy” kid by moving himself in-between them to act as a human shield. His mother had actually insisted that her son would cut in once the bullying began. Thankfully, this mother got to stand by her words, and it became visible that there are some children out there who actually will step in when things aren’t how they should be, even if that means there is a risk that they might become the next bullied teen in the group.

             Being a college student, I’ve been through the years in middle and high school where people got made fun of all the time. I’ve seen the pack effect that one bully can seem to cause, I’ve ridden the busses where the bus driver- the person who was supposed to keep us feeling safe and protected- simply looked away at what was happening right behind him, heck, I’ve seen first hand what the “popular” girls say and do in the athletic locker rooms when no authority figure is around. Some people are simply cruel, and it’s hard to even think about, but is something, I believe, that needs to be firmly addressed in all schools, no matter how “classy” or “wealthy” they are.

          The fact of the matter is, bullying is a problem, and as optimistic as we may be, we have to realize that bad things happen, and sometimes the bullying isn’t stopped. This happens to countless gay teens all over the world, and even some who are just simply figuring out who they are. The caustic words may be finished in ten seconds, but the scars will live with these young boys and girls forever. Why write a blog entry on this? Because I want you to be aware that this does happen. And sometimes, the only thing to do to stop it is to actually step in, even if it may not make you look like the “cool” kid in relation to the bullies at hand. We have the power to do something about bullying when it takes place, the question is will we actually do something about it when the time comes, and hypothetically isn’t so hypothetical anymore. I urge you to speak up. Make yourself heard, and don't tolerate bullying for a second. Be the better person.

Link to experiment vidoes: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/41928090#41975656