BRATTLEBORO — The recent explosion of news stories about lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered youth who have committed suicide after being bullied or harassed has rightfully sparked outrage and calls for change in public and private circles across the nation.
While I certainly do not fault the media for giving attention to these events, I feel it's important to put the entire bullying issue in perspective before it gets chased out of the 24-hour news cycle by the next trendy tragedy.
Bullying is nothing new or different. We have all known bullies, and I daresay that most of us have been victims of their harassment at some point in our lives. Neither is homophobia a new phenomenon.
What worries me is the media's tendency to focus on the sensationalism of LGBT teens committing suicide at the expense of fundamental issues, namely prejudice and intolerance. How can we possibly address bullying without addressing the widespread homophobia in our society?
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Young people who do not identify as heterosexual are at a distinct disadvantage in today's high-speed, digital world. Bullies now have the means to hurt and humiliate their victims in front of more and more onlookers with practically instantaneous results. Taunting is no longer a matter of bruised egos and low self-esteem.
The sheer force and speed of online and other forms of digital bullying has left some young people so thoroughly overwhelmed with shame that life is no longer bearable.
Bullying has always been about fear - fear of what it means to be different and fear of deflecting our own deep insecurities about ourselves onto others.
One can draw parallels to racism, a problem Americans have struggled with for centuries. Only in our recent history have we begun to turn away from that dark part of our history, and we should be encouraged by the fact that overtly racist behaviors now carry a fair degree of social stigma.
But how far have we really come in the struggle for acceptance and equality when it's still okay to use derogatory terms about LGBT people in casual conversation?
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I'm glad to hear that leaders in the LGBT community are reaching out to our young people with the message that “it gets better.” That's something every adolescent needs to hear during the rocky ascent to adulthood.
But we need to remember always that LGBT youth have additional vulnerabilities that stem not just from self doubt, but from unchecked homophobia. And we need to make sure this core issue doesn't get lost in the next news cycle.
Bullying has become a lethal practice that requires us to do a better job of educating our kids about diversity and the ethical use of digital media. It also requires us to ensure that bullying behaviors result in more serious consequences for bullies, both at home and in school.
Kids who simply can't wait for things to get better are dying. For them, running out the clock is not an option. Ultimately, we're all responsible for changing the basic rules of the game.