Prayers for Bobby
I've never seen this before, it is a Lifetime movie that was based on the real story of Bobby Griffith, a gay man who killed himself in 1983 at the age of 20. It is a very powerful story, one that repeats itself over and over again among hundreds of families.
A religious woman who believes in the bible and the teachings of her church, tries to "cure" her son when he comes out as gay. She tells him to pray, and to try to change and when it doesn't work tells him he must not be praying hard enough.
After 4 years of this, he gives up and kills himself. For 2 years before his death he'd kept a diary of the pain he was going threw, the self hatred, confusion and fear. It is an increadibly sad story.
The most moving part for me, is that after his death his mother admitted the part that her own ignorance played in his pain and in his death. She doesn't try to deny that she made huge mistakes and should have listened to her son more.
It made me think that I am still amazed that people are so cruel to others. It's always confused me about people. I know it is because that I was raised in such a welcoming house. My parents never told me being anything was 'wrong'. My mom bought me books about wicca and paganism when I was showing an interest in it. They bought me my black jeans and black t-shirts and let me be who I was. When they found out when I was 13 I was sure I was bisexual they mentioned that they saw it and that was it. It was never considered wrong, or bad it wasn't even mentioned.
I tried at one point to talk them into letting my on-line girlfriend move in with us because she was going to get kicked out of her house when she turned 18. I never felt unwanted or unaccepted because of my sexuality. (I did for other reasons, but hell all teenagers hate their parents for a few years LoL) They didn't care who I loved, or how I lived as long as I was happy and healthy and doing okay.
It is a wonderful thing to know that is their greatest concern for me. And.. not was, but is. There are issues of course but I know that thy love me, and even if in 5 years I decide to change my entire life and do something completely different, they'll still be there.
The idea of hating your child because of who they love, disowning them because they are gay, or want to love more than one person, or because they were born physically a boy but are really a girl. It's is so strange to me. What does any of that matter? Why does it matter? Why should anyone care? People are people.
My ex, was born physically a male,while we were dating he admitted to himself that he, was a she. I wasn't bothered by it in the least, it didn't matter to me. Male or female she was the same person to me. We broke up for reasons completely unrelated to that fact. She is now happily in California as the person she should be.
Why is being who you are so hard for people? Even me,admittedly I am not truly a man inside or anything, but I have other things. I am worry that because I don't live the life that my friend Jess, or Cori lives that I am somehow a bad person. That... my life isn't as good as theirs. I just want to be me, really me. My morbid sense of humor, fascination with sexuality and sex and fetishes, my interest in art and anything strange. I read about death and watch shows about murders and drug addiction and .... all of that.
I am who I am, and I shouldn't try to hide it. Me liking those things isn't something that I can control. Just like people who are gay, or lesbian, transgendered, polyamorous ... or anything else. Isn't anything that they can control and they shouldn't be condemned for it.
Desires are taught, sexuality isn't taught. It is set, and the goal in life is to be happy with who you are and not to be afraid to be who you are.
Okay, this went of on a huge freaking tangent,but oh well. It is what was on my mind at the moment.
I want to be happy and I want my friends, family and everyone to be happy.
Be yourself, and don't be afraid.
A religious woman who believes in the bible and the teachings of her church, tries to "cure" her son when he comes out as gay. She tells him to pray, and to try to change and when it doesn't work tells him he must not be praying hard enough.
After 4 years of this, he gives up and kills himself. For 2 years before his death he'd kept a diary of the pain he was going threw, the self hatred, confusion and fear. It is an increadibly sad story.
The most moving part for me, is that after his death his mother admitted the part that her own ignorance played in his pain and in his death. She doesn't try to deny that she made huge mistakes and should have listened to her son more.
It made me think that I am still amazed that people are so cruel to others. It's always confused me about people. I know it is because that I was raised in such a welcoming house. My parents never told me being anything was 'wrong'. My mom bought me books about wicca and paganism when I was showing an interest in it. They bought me my black jeans and black t-shirts and let me be who I was. When they found out when I was 13 I was sure I was bisexual they mentioned that they saw it and that was it. It was never considered wrong, or bad it wasn't even mentioned.
I tried at one point to talk them into letting my on-line girlfriend move in with us because she was going to get kicked out of her house when she turned 18. I never felt unwanted or unaccepted because of my sexuality. (I did for other reasons, but hell all teenagers hate their parents for a few years LoL) They didn't care who I loved, or how I lived as long as I was happy and healthy and doing okay.
It is a wonderful thing to know that is their greatest concern for me. And.. not was, but is. There are issues of course but I know that thy love me, and even if in 5 years I decide to change my entire life and do something completely different, they'll still be there.
The idea of hating your child because of who they love, disowning them because they are gay, or want to love more than one person, or because they were born physically a boy but are really a girl. It's is so strange to me. What does any of that matter? Why does it matter? Why should anyone care? People are people.
My ex, was born physically a male,while we were dating he admitted to himself that he, was a she. I wasn't bothered by it in the least, it didn't matter to me. Male or female she was the same person to me. We broke up for reasons completely unrelated to that fact. She is now happily in California as the person she should be.
Why is being who you are so hard for people? Even me,admittedly I am not truly a man inside or anything, but I have other things. I am worry that because I don't live the life that my friend Jess, or Cori lives that I am somehow a bad person. That... my life isn't as good as theirs. I just want to be me, really me. My morbid sense of humor, fascination with sexuality and sex and fetishes, my interest in art and anything strange. I read about death and watch shows about murders and drug addiction and .... all of that.
I am who I am, and I shouldn't try to hide it. Me liking those things isn't something that I can control. Just like people who are gay, or lesbian, transgendered, polyamorous ... or anything else. Isn't anything that they can control and they shouldn't be condemned for it.
Desires are taught, sexuality isn't taught. It is set, and the goal in life is to be happy with who you are and not to be afraid to be who you are.
Okay, this went of on a huge freaking tangent,but oh well. It is what was on my mind at the moment.
I want to be happy and I want my friends, family and everyone to be happy.
Be yourself, and don't be afraid.