Hop Against Homophobia

I'm not participating officially since I'm not involved in any of the publishing process (other than reading voraciously!). There is a blog hop May 17-May 20 here. Hundreds are participating for this great cause.

I am a straight female, so I've never personally experienced homophobia or transphobia. Unfortunately, I don't currently have any GLBT friends either, much to my loss. But like some of the writers in the hop, I do know discrimination and I know how it feels to be shunned by those who should love you and I know what it is to have to deal with bullies.

So many kids today are taking their own lives from bullying because assholes seem to think they know what's best and keep telling them they're wrong, they're evil, they're going to hell, and on and on. It's just not true. They need the chance to grow and learn about themselves without feeling the pain of being mistreated. ANY kid does. I suffered greatly for my weight in school and still bear the emotional scars. To this day, I have self-esteem issues from the taunts I heard... yes, I know those people don't matter, but years of hearing it made it sink into my psyche. Someone who is GLBT doesn't NEED anything like that! They're going to have to deal with enough issues without having people try to step on their confidence and crush them. They need support and love and acceptance. And sometimes, they need help. There is the Trevor Project if you or anyone you know wants to talk to someone. Just that little thing, a bit of talking to someone willing to listen, can help SO much. There is also the It Gets Better Project with videos of people hoping to be a light in the darkness to GLBT youth. You can also buy/donate a book copy of the project for a school or library of your choice so a kid that doesn't have internet may get a chance to read these stories and have hope.

Please visit the Hop Against Homophobia blog hop. It's emotional, educational and something our society should take notice of. All blogs participating are having giveaways too so you get to read some good information and maybe get some goodies too!