GLAAD Spirit Day!!
I hope you all are wearing purple today! For those of you guys that don't know, today is GLAAD's Spirit Day - a day to show support for LGBT youth and speak out against bullying. (http://www.glaad.org/spiritday)
I feel lucky that I grew up in a house that encouraged acceptance. I have vivid memories of my dad helping my high school drama department build sets, and a gay friend of mine saying "Your dad is so cool. He doesn't even care that I'm.......you know...."
I recall my mom explaining to me that everyone is created uniquely and lovingly, and that everyone deserves to be valued.
I remember having a crush on k.d. lang after seeing her on Pee Wee's Christmas special because she looked like Elvis.
I remember being so angry in 4th grade that I wasn't born a boy that I started to wonder if maybe i SHOULD have been born a boy.
I remember having a Barbie who's hair I chopped off, and I always pretended that she was a new girl at school pretending to be an artsy dude. And then she'd date the head cheerleader. I was seven.
I remember when the cool girls in class passed the rule that no one was allowed to talk to me. Or when they WOULD talk to me, it was just long enough to gather more tidbits to make fun of.
I remember realizing one day that the biggest bully in my life was abused, and how that immediately neutralized all my anger.
We all carry hurts. Even the person in your life who tortures you.
But I want every sad kid to know, IT GETS BETTER!! It gets so mind-blowingly better. You are going to fall in love, and have your heart broken and then fall in love again and ride the romantic rollercoaster of life. You are going to have moments where you feel connected to every person on the planet, and you will have moments of quiet solitude where you feel empowered by independence. You will have adventures and secrets and a million memories that will exist as a sly twinkle in your eye when you are old and gray.
Be proud! Own who you are. I too have seen the darkest of days, but I promise you.....for every low there is a stunning high right around the corner.
So celebrate today. We are on the road to equality. Let's keep on trucking!
Big ol hugs and kisses,
hil
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Comments
I think the link fits in perfectly with the post Ali & very much worth the read :)
I can think of a few people I am going to attempt to share it with. Thank you for posting it.
on a related note, today i just found an article that made me think of this
(I know now I'm sounding like a spam linker...)
but trust me - a good read about tolerance, belief and love:
http://www.danoah.com/2011/11/im-christian-unless-youre-gay.html
don't just skim - truly read it!
(hopes the site mods don't behead me - hides)
You momentarily made me re-ground myself and think a little more about some 'things'.
This is an amazing post Hilarie,
I think everyone should read it. It's so true and so relevant in today's society.
Thanks for sharing it with us.
Carla
As someone who has very recently (2 months ago) "come out" as gay to my family, all I want to do is yell from the rooftops that "It Gets Better". It makes me so happy when people who can be heard by a large audience also share this message.
I can't lie and say it has been a smooth road. I was bullied in high school, I was verbally attacked and disowned by some of my family when they found out I'm gay but those who truly love you and truly care about you don't care. They love you for who you are and that will never change.
Equality is still a fair way off but with organisations like GLAAD, we are well on the way.
It really really really DOES get better. That is something that the 23 year old me wants to tell all of you teenagers and young people out there. I really can't say it enough.
Thank you Hilarie for sharing this blog and your story with us :)
Thank you so much! I really, really needed to hear that right now!!
And I Know someone who'm I'll Show this Tomorrow and where I know she'll cry over this, so Know that you've touched two souls Today!!
Thanks for sharing those memories with us Hil!
I think everyone has suffered from bullying at some stage in their lives. I remember being bullied for most of the 8th grade, eventually something inside me snapped and I said ‘leave me alone, you’re not going to follow through on all these threats anyway so stop wasting my time’ and that was the end of it.
We are on the road to equality like you say – even though it’s a very loooonnnnnggggg and bumpy road
I couldn't expect nothing better that those words.. 20 sucks because I feel like every stable things I could have had so far are just going away and I have to face all those new choices, all those new situations alone... But thanks to your WONDERFUL words, I feel like I'm gaining some hope. So thank you Hilarie for those words, seems like they are fixing some broken part of my heart <3
I loved this blog. There are people who are always going to want to see you fail, but there are many more who are fighting for you and are in your corner. I had my own bully who certainly came with her issues. Sometimes we are our own bully in a way. Thanks for the motivating words :) <3 Alyssa
Thanks Hilarie, this was an inspiring entry- and I genuinely loved it. Another example of how real you are, and how like many/most -at some point- run into areas of confusion or wonder in this area of life.
Always great to read your blogs!
Kendall
Wonderful things to say on a wonderfully promising day. Exactly what I needed to read, thanks :)
Laura
words of wisdom