Years ago, when I was a young girl, I was continually told
by my brother that I was fat and ugly and all his friends said I was the ‘ugliest
girl they knew’. This went on for years. I won’t lie. Those words crushed me as
a child. But I never showed it because I wouldn’t allow a bully to see that I
was crushed or that I feared his words. I endured to spite him. It was a relief
when he left home. Why do I bring this up? I believe my strong beliefs and views on
human rights and equality were born from this bullying. It made me who I am –
an individual with definite beliefs and opinions who will not stand quietly and
let things slide. Anyone who has ever been bullied will not stand and allow others
to be treated the same way.
When I read headlines like this, I instantly arc up...
"Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer must decide if she will sign a
bill allowing business owners to deny service to gay and lesbian customers."
This essentially reads as ‘someone’ must decide if other human
beings with certain defined sexual and romantic preferences can be allowed to
go into some places of business and purchase good and services. What. The. Fuck. How is this right? How is
this having respect for other human beings regardless of what they think,
believe or act? How can you slam one group of people and deny them rights? And
to wrap it up in some talk about “as long as they (the shop owners) assert
their religious beliefs" while they’re denying someone else their own particular
beliefs to me is bullying in its worst form. It’s saying ‘well, you can’t be
normal like us so I’m not going to interact with you and I’m going to make you
feel ostracized because I can wave a moralistic banner saying my god allows me
to do it.’ Bollocks. Remember when people were fervently denied human rights
because of the colour of their skin? Remember how much we look upon those days
as appalling and wrong? How is it okay to cite God to smite down people who
just want to love who they love because it’s their right to do so as a human
being?
If you have ever faced a bully, you know and I know, you bear scars that will never allow you to let another person feel the same way
you did. Arizona?
Quit bullying people.
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