Spirit Day Vigil

Tonight I attended a candlelight vigil held for young people who've committed suicide as a result of bullying.



I believe all people deserve respect.



GLADD suggested people wear purple today to show support for anti-bullying. This was spurred by the recent suicide of Tyler Clementi, who killed himself after a roommate broadcast a sexual encounter Clementi had with another male student. I know from my years in the mental health field that the suicide rate for gay and lesbian teens is four times what it is for other teenagers.



This is not a gay issue as far as I'm concerned. I'll happily wear another color to show support for another group to raise awareness about bullying. Everyone deserves respect.



It was a good turnout tonight. I didn't count, but there were probably 30-40 people there. Considering it was just a couple of days notice, that's great.



I do not think people "choose" to be gay, any more than they choose to have blue eyes. I certainly don't remember a day when I woke up and chose to be straight. I just was. I can only assume it's much the same for everyone. We are attracted to who we are attracted to and there's not a lot of decision-making involved.

Obviously, not everyone feels the same way. And that's fine. But I want everyone to be free of bullying - gay or straight.