A kid got beaten up at my school because his sister is a lesbian

[Chimetals 344]

a lot of the kids that picked on my brother wound up being not-dicks a couple years later in high school, basically they had just been trying to be cool at the time, and there were a couple major dicks in the grade, and everyone else thought it sounded like it was a fine idea or something.

kidsll get these whacked up ideas about people in other groups. its like stereotype jokes, but actually meaning it, and not telling it because its a funny situation, but because it mocks a target group or is generally derogatory. one of those groups that i really did notice was gays, esp gay guys, among straight guys. there could be a group of these straight, male kids, none of which really know any gay guys, or if they do, are too timid to say anything/just go with the flow. p soon "gay/thats gay" gets used as slang for "lame/thats bogus" (respectively) and then theres the many many terms like "gaywad" and "faggot/fag" that start flying around. but mostly its this general paranoia that theyll get hit on/felt up by a gay guy, or that people will think theyre a gay guy and then not want to associate with them.

ironically enough, those same guysll be/act eager to see two chicks make out/"hot lesbian action" yet any lesbian that resembles the stereotype for a "dyke" is something they dont really care about, or want anything to do with.

thats the "jock" mentality as far as ive seen, or at least in my area, imo. there are a lot of guys that fall under the category of "thats your thing, and thats ok, but for the record, im not into that" when it comes to gay guys, but its the ones that think beating/killing/whatever gays is ok because their gays that the problem lies in. this third one is the one people associate with the word "homophobic" although it really doesnt have anything to do with a phobia. the "jock" mentality is just that--associated with the stereotyped guys that would consider "the bro code" something to live by, more or less.

@LL

getting ticked off isnt gonna solve anything by itself, but if enough people get ticked off and handle it in a civilized manner, then it could start a movement, if they felt like it. not saying we need to go parade out there /right now/ or anything, but getting emotional can lead to being involved etc etc etc idk. but im still gonna let myself get involved enough to get into a discussion about it, catalog it in memory for later, and just generally respond to it. basically, im not gonna decide "well this isnt gonna go anywhere, i should just stop being angry" because people just cant do that, imo.

[Hiro Protagonist 0]

And the situation is probably going to get worse in Michigan because of this new law. Basically, it says not to bully people unless you have a "Strong Moral Conviction". Therefore, someone could legally bully a kid who they suspect of being gay because of their religion. Not to single out religion, but this is the most easily exploitable moral conviction.

[Princess Valhalla Hawkwind 39]

Oh yeah, I heard about that law too! The wording is "strong moral conviction" and they said that also includes religious conviction.

[2356 23]

Oh dear sweet God did they really just do that?

[Princess Valhalla Hawkwind 39]

In Michigan, yeah.

[Chase 390]

That's a really, really weird way to word it.

I get what the bill is trying to say, but in context it doesn't make any sense. No form of bullying is okay. That said, it is okay to express your beliefs, but it shouldn't be in a threatening way.

Like, there's a difference when you say:

"I believe homosexuality is an abomination"

and

"You f@#$@% fags, go to hell!"

One expresses a belief, the other is a direct assault.

[Princess Valhalla Hawkwind 39]

I agree with Chase. Wording it is really important though. But at the end of the day, it's freedom of speech vs bullying. It's not always black and white. LOTS OF GRAY SCALE!

[Chimetals 344]

grayscale, ugh....color is better.

no matter what you do, one side is gonna get all huffy.

[Chase 390]

Yeah, pretty sure that's a proverb. In layman's terms, anyway.

[Chimetals 344]

"its true but i dont like it" is that what you mean, LL?

the only proverb i can think of right now is "its better to keep quiet and be thought a fool than to open ones mouth and remove all doubt" but i think thats not quite what youre thinking of there :S

[Chase 390]

I was thinking more:

New American Standard Bible (©1995)

He who despises his neighbor lacks sense, But a man of understanding keeps silent.

[pheonix561 2080]

Why is it all the active threads in serious discussion/rantnrave are the ones I don't care about

Kid got beaten up for having a gay sister, surprise homophobia is a thing

[2356 23]

Would you prefer an article about art theft?

[Cascade 741]

Why is a thread about someone being sent to hospital after being attacked by a bully so full of callousness? Like, where is the need to even debate this coming from.

This is sickening, the bully deserves a harsher punishment than 5 day suspension for sending kid to hospital, possible homophobia behind the attack is terrible. They're just misunderstood, though!!!

Man my silence on this topic lasted longer than usual, fancy that.

[Chase 390]

Says miss thing who wasn't even there <3