Homosexual Suicide

Another group whose whose presentation I found interesting was the group who discussed homesexuality and suicide. The group introduced the presentation with a member voicing a speech in the words of Billy, a victim of homosexual harrassment who took his life as a result. He explained the story of Billy and how he was harrassed by his community and peers at school, and how he couldnt come to understand why everyone hated him just because he was different. This story almost brought tears to my eyes as I imagined the little boy enduring so much homophobia to the extent that would cause him to take his own life. The group then discussed the percentage of suicidal rates. Without a doubt, members of the LGBT community were more found to be prone to committ suicide than any other group. I found these results shocking. They also showed how based on student surveys, more people were accepting of lesbians than gay males. They also discussed how more people are found to frown upon homosexuals who committ suicide than those who kill themselves due to stress, depression, grief, etc. Moreover, hate crimes where someone is victimized because of their sexuality is often given a lesser sentence. I found all of this information to be absolutely disgusting. To think that people are treated as second class citizens, all on the basis of their sexuality really bothered me. This presentation really opened up my eyes to the hate thats still in this world and the progress we need to make as a society to ensure that everyone has equal rights and opportunities, and no one feels so excluded that they opt to take their own life. A permanent fix to a temporary issue, how shameful.