Today, in the computer lab when I asked Rachel about our semi-formal dance, she didn't answer.
Me: Oh, you can't speak? Are you sick?
Rachel: (shook her head)
Me: (Tilting my head ~ didn't understand what's going on)
Then, Rachel opened Microsoft Words and started to type up her answer.
Rachel: [I'm doing the silence protest]
Me: For what?
Rachel: [Against anti-gay people that continue to bully gays]
Me: Why? (stupid question)
Rachel: [Because at schools there are many students who were bullied by others because they're gay, but the teachers did absolutely nothing]
Me: Really? (I was thinking that she was talking about OUR school. I couldn't believe that there are many anti-gay people in our school)
Rachel: [Yes. There is one 12 years old kid who was killed because his friends always harass him. He was not even gay, but his friends thought that he was]
Me: Killed??? Are you serious?
Rachel: (shook her head) [He killed himself]
Me: ooh. Who is he? (I was still thinking that this poor kid is from our school)
Rachel: (opened some website and showed me an article about that kid)
Me: Oooh...ok!
Frankly, I am impressed by Rachel's dedication about this case. I mean, it's hard not to talk for one day. Even though it won't make a big change, at least this action can open people's eyes and even slap them in the head, just like me.
I'm not a bully, that's for sure. I hate to hurt people's feeling. However, sometimes my words can be offensive to some people, even though I didn't mean to offend them.
Sometimes, when my friends and I were fooling around, they would imitate girlish boy's gesture, then I would say, "Oh my God, You look so gay!"
That's a common joke for me, that means I say it a lot. Now I realize that what I say is not appropriate. I can imagine if a gay person hear me say that. It would probably feels like if someone was joking around me and say to his friend, "OMG, you look like an Asian!" or "Hey, you look like a Moslem!"
I would probably say, "What's wrong with that?"
Back home, my friends also say this kind of joke. They would call each other "Bencong" which means a transgender person. If a transgender person hear them saying that, they'll be hurt too.
This is not about right or wrong, because it's relative and different in every culture. This is all about respecting others.
PS: For more stories about Day of Silence, please visit:
http://www.glsen.org/cgi-bin/iowa/all/news/record/2400.html
EDITED:
I found this cool picture of Dougie Poynter (McFly)
EDITED:
I found this cool picture of Dougie Poynter (McFly)
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