Rant and Rave Fellow Humans

A teen boy takes his own life. Turns out he was gay. Turns out he was bullied.

Turns out humans are scum. That’s not news.

It is depressing. Depressing that we have still so far to go as a society. Depressing how unforgiving we are of differences. Depressing how insular we are when it comes to stepping out and trying to understand something that is not us, or outside our limited, white bread understanding.

I’ve always admired Rick Mercer, but now he has taken that to a whole new level by taking us to task with his rant on homosexualtiy and bullying. Yes, he asks homosexual folks in the public eye to speak out, but I think we ALL should. We all have a duty to protect and cherish every life around us.

View the rant here–it is short, direct, and utterly awesome.

(And I particularly like his idea of police coming to that school and shaking up a few kids. I really, really do.)

As writers we have a cherished and honoured place in the world. With our words we can influence. We can change the way people think, feel, and react. Open their eyes. Open their souls.

Open the world. Add that 10% of society to your stories. Tell their tales. Show the world that they bleed just like everyone else. As Mercer says, you don’t have to be annoying about it, but speak out. (Not a direct quote.)