The GEM Debate:
LGBT Just Want To Have Fun, Too
Who doesn’t remember the Cyndi Lauper, teen-girl anthem, “Girls just want to have fun!” For some of us it was part of the mosaic of our teen years. We just wanted to have fun. So why, oh why, are some still trying to steal the joy of the teens: African-American teens, awkward teens, and, specific to the article in the Huffington Post about another prom fiasco, LGBT teens?
Sullivan High School in Indiana you are up! This school is now in the spotlight of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) community because some in Sullivan, including one of the special needs teachers at the high school, desire a “traditional” prom; one that excludes anyone who identifies as LGBT.
…and now the debate.
With it being Black History Month my thoughts wandered recently to thinking, “How could someone think I was less than them?” I really had to try to figure that out. It makes no sense to think it or really even to try to figure it out. I just know that everyone is a person; we all have the ability to change the world, build our own families, and love the way we want to love. It wasn’t so many years ago that if an African-American teen-aged boy so much as looked at a Caucasian girl he met with a horrible fate. Now it seems that if that same boy has feelings for another boy the fate isn’t quite as horrible, but he is thought to have his love questioned. I don’t understand that and I don’t understand how adults can be so cruel to kids who are just trying to have fun.
I understand that some religions are based on bringing people to the understanding and love of their god, but at some point we have to understand the only people we can get into Heaven is ourselves. One of my favorite phrases is “I don’t have a heaven or hell to put you in.” And that’s what this boils down to. Advocates against the LGBT lifestyle are trying to make sure everyone gets into Heaven their way. I have nothing against protecting your kids from ideas that you don’t endorse, I really don’t (I’m against the lima beans my parents used to force on us), but I don’t think that you should bring those ideas to the forefront by singling out a group of children. I also think you have to be very careful because once you start excluding people/cultures/races from your life you find yourself pretty much distanced from society.
Politics aside, we are trying to teach our kids about bullying in America. I find it laughable that some adults aren’t aware that banning anyone from prom is a form of bullying. According to Merriam-Webster online, bullying can be defined as “to affect by means of force or coercion.” Barring someone from a function is affecting them by means of force. I’m sure these adults wouldn’t want that for their children so why is this okay to do to other children? It isn’t.
So what do you think? Is holding a prom where LGBT teens are not invited right or wrong? What would/will you do when the issue of LGBT teens attending prom at your child’s school arises? Talk to us!
More from GEM:
Celebrity Crush: My Date With Justin Bieber (VIDEO)
Our Story Begins: When Bullying Hits Home
The GEM Debate: Prom, P.E. And Plan B… Should Kids Get THIS At School? (VIDEO)
Ella Rucker is the mother of one of the smartest, funniest two-year-olds she’s ever met. She is currently assistant to the head GEM which means hats-a-plenty including writing, editing, and producing for Good Enough Mother. An Ohio native implanted in NYC for the last 13 years, Ella has achieved one of her many dreams by writing. Her musings (she’s amused they’d be called “musings”) can be found at other places on the web so make sure you follow her on twitter @ellalaverne for all the information.
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