Philosophy toward gays more imortant than policy

   The battle for and against same-sex marriage is an issue heavily attended to by the media and most frequently argued between religious figureheads and politicians. But for most, unless you are on the front lines fighting for your respective side, it is an issue that, although we are all familiar with, we still find ourselves estranged from.

   While many claims can be made for and against the legalization of same-sex marriage, the biggest problem associated with society’s attitude towards gays is homophobia and the way the gay community is viewed, addressed, and treated overall. The association of gays with negative imagery, much of which can be traced back to religious opposition, has nurtured hate, fear, resentment and distance between gays and straights.

   As a nation which boasts its tolerance and openness to accept all people, we have, like so many times before, stuck our self-righteous foot in our dowdy, frowning mouth. Throughout the history of the United States, discrimination has been faced and overcome by years of perseverance but at a great cost. Our present day struggles with the gay community are no different. However, the unchecked negativity broadcast to the population has made life very difficult for gays and even some straights.

   The age at which individuals are “coming out” is getting younger. Middle and high schools, already bursting at the seams with overly active hormones, now must include openly gay pre-teens and teenagers. While the sexuality of the students is not the concern of the schools (by law they are not permitted to ask), bullying and violence towards gay students has become a serious problem, occasionally having drastic and dire effects on the victims.

The suicide rate in gay and lesbian youth, as well as adults, is much higher, as is their proneness to develop harmful habits like drug abuse and alcoholism to combat their elevated susceptibility to depression and other psychological disorders onset by the pressure, abuse, and alienation that comes with disclosing homosexuality. But sometimes, the violence and cruelty of a middle school student can surpass anything thought possible. In February of 2008, fifteen-year-old Lawrence King, who was openly and flamboyantly gay, was shot and killed at school by a fellow student, whom King had asked to be his Valentine.

   While hate crimes have always occurred, for homophobia to endanger the lives of 15-year-olds is absurd. But it doesn’t end there. Even straight youths are targets of anti-gay speech and violence.

   The connotation of the word “gay” has morphed into something beyond a term for sexual orientation—it has become the weapon of choice for adolescents to degrade and torment their classmates barely old enough to comprehend the concept of sexuality, much less to choose an alternative one. The power contained within this simple word (and its slang derivatives: “homo,” “fag,” “queer,” etc.) has, in recent weeks, resulted in terrible tragedies.

This month, two young boys, Jaheem Herrera, 11 of Georgia and Carl Walker-Hoover, 11 of Massachusetts hanged themselves only days apart after suffering relentless bullying from their classmates, including being called gay when neither were. While the bullying of the boys was not exclusive to anti-gay name calling, not much tops a homosexual branding in the derogation of fifth-grade boys. In comparison to being labled a “fag,” being ugly or stupid doesn’t seem so bad.

   While the mothers of both boys implore the school to take action against the bullying that tormented their sons, schools’ power is limited. Rather than attempting to punish “gay-bashing” and hate crimes, the focus of society should be teaching rising generations to view sexual orientation as a difference no worse than race. Without the negative emphasis on gays and lesbians, the power behind the words used to bully fifth graders to suicide would cease to exist. 

   In some circles, there is a mounting awareness for the need to change our societal perceptions. In Chicago, approval-pending plans for The School for Social Justice Pride Campus — a “gay-friendly” high school — will provide a safe haven for gay and lesbian, as well as straight students, who have been victims of the persecution Lawrence, Jaheem and Carl suffered. According to a study done by the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network, the harassment endured by gay students affects their performance in school, resulting in lower grades, higher truancy and more dropouts.

   For gays and lesbians called to higher education, the Point Foundation awards hefty scholarships to gay students. Typically, various scholarships are awarded to students who have overcome hardships—what could be harder than growing up in a society which has taught that your feelings are wrong and should be ignored at the risk of losing your family, your friends, or even your life? 

   Critics argue that the solution to homophobia is not special schools and scholarships; that this only widens the gap between gays and straights. They say the way to deal with negative perceptions is to treat everyone exactly the same.

   When gays and lesbians are singled out, harassed, victimized, and denied heterosexual rights, the method of “equal treatment” is far from plausible. Society tells us homosexuality is dirty, wrong, and sinful—an ideal that festers in intolerant minds eventually forming a universal, combative position towards gays – seeking to “cure” and “prevent” alternative lifestyles by shunning professed gays and teaching children about the “evils” of homosexuality.