Exposure can be a double edged sword!
I've been following the story, as I'm sure many have, of Constance McMillen and her girlfriend from Mississippi. For those that may not be aware, she is a lesbian high schooler who was going to take her girlfriend to prom with her. One of them had planned on wearing a tux. Rather than tell them that they can't go, the school cancelled the prom entirely. It was also revealed that the school--a PUBLIC school--has a policy of no same-sex couples. She currently has a joint law suit with the ACLU pending against the school.
There are so many completely immoral and unethical points I could find in this. But if you have had any education past the second grade, or know me at all, you already know what I could say about it. Instead, I'm going to focus on another aspect of the story.
Constance has recently made several appearances on National TV (The Wanda Sykes show, The Today Show, & Ellen, to name a few). It's awesome shes getting the recognition she deserves for the huge injustice she was faced with. Through this process, she's been a world-wind tour of television programs, consistently gaining support for her cause. And hopefully because of this, Mississippi will see the error in their ways and this girl will finally get her damn prom!!
However something a lot of people may not realize will happen (or better yet, probably is happening) is that along with gaining supporters with each appearance, she's gaining more and more hate as well. And believe me, I can speak personally from this.
As you may (or may not know), I taped a segment with The Tyra Banks Show to win a fantasy gay marriage that should air sometime in late May. Obviously, the episode has not even aired yet. No preview clips. Nothing. Yet the entire knows (thanks to the online voting aspect of the competition). And believe me, until a couple days I was the talk of the town (and the online voting started late January). I was getting hate left and right from various sources (facebook, in person, topix, etc.). Granted, hate in my town isn't necessarily a new trend. I've been out for years. But after the initial coming out, the hate had died down. Now its beginning to resurface again. And with it, comes the feeling of inequality, shame, remorse, embarrassment, regret, etc. that I in no way should feel. But I do.
I'm worried that with SO many spotlights on this poor girl, she too will face hate. Much much more hate than I ever thought I could face. And this is obviously something that is going to go on for a while. Maybe not the talk show appearances, but the lawsuit and media coverage will continue on for a while. I just hope that if she can avoid the hate, she does. Or better yet, that it doesn't happen at all. But I'm not naive. I know the world far too world to have hopes like that. So I guess I should hope that she is able to stay strong and come out of this whole process as a stronger, prouder individual.
Say What?:
"Ewww! How ungodly and gross. I hope they leave town."
"i hate gay people and lesbos,its sick to be with the same sex!!!!You can't bring a child into the world like that....Fade away"
"Hey San Francisco why not take old aaron and travis out there with you since it is populated mostly with homo's and trash they won't put up with anywhere else. All Louisa needs to add to its demise is a gay couple on national t.v. maybe if we could ever discover how to keep our idiots off national t.v. we could shake the dirt poor, inbred, barefoot, uneducated hill people image we have struggled with far to long Go on out there guys and let the whole world laugh at you while tara banks laughs all the way to the bank."
"There are no winners in this sick competition. Gays are just as lousy and nasty and useless as child molesters. Disgusting garbage. Drop them all on an island in the middle of the ocean and let them learn to work and maybe survive and be real men."
"i most definately do not believe in gay marriage i mean what if they adopt a kid and that kid grows up with 2 so called fathers, poor kid will be beat up everyday not to mention that teachers, people would think differently of the kids parents, gays do not need to take over the country just like the military and letting gays openly serve fuk that i spent 4 years in the army and i would not want a fag next to me in a foxhole or a fire fight i think they should be on the front lines as decoys. the thought of two men kissing in public sickenss me and it is something i wouldnt want my kids to see"
"Old homo's must have lost the competition for that big wedding, see no bloviating, boasting or squeeling out of their supporters, hurah. Now will you move to Calif. they like you little girlie boys out there. Way to go Tara B. good way to get rateings and smiley face on the way to the local bank. Sorry she had to accomplish that by exploiting our sick-o's, oh well, maybe next time girlie-guys."
--the above were all posted by anonymous people on the website Topix.
There are so many completely immoral and unethical points I could find in this. But if you have had any education past the second grade, or know me at all, you already know what I could say about it. Instead, I'm going to focus on another aspect of the story.
Constance has recently made several appearances on National TV (The Wanda Sykes show, The Today Show, & Ellen, to name a few). It's awesome shes getting the recognition she deserves for the huge injustice she was faced with. Through this process, she's been a world-wind tour of television programs, consistently gaining support for her cause. And hopefully because of this, Mississippi will see the error in their ways and this girl will finally get her damn prom!!
However something a lot of people may not realize will happen (or better yet, probably is happening) is that along with gaining supporters with each appearance, she's gaining more and more hate as well. And believe me, I can speak personally from this.
As you may (or may not know), I taped a segment with The Tyra Banks Show to win a fantasy gay marriage that should air sometime in late May. Obviously, the episode has not even aired yet. No preview clips. Nothing. Yet the entire knows (thanks to the online voting aspect of the competition). And believe me, until a couple days I was the talk of the town (and the online voting started late January). I was getting hate left and right from various sources (facebook, in person, topix, etc.). Granted, hate in my town isn't necessarily a new trend. I've been out for years. But after the initial coming out, the hate had died down. Now its beginning to resurface again. And with it, comes the feeling of inequality, shame, remorse, embarrassment, regret, etc. that I in no way should feel. But I do.
I'm worried that with SO many spotlights on this poor girl, she too will face hate. Much much more hate than I ever thought I could face. And this is obviously something that is going to go on for a while. Maybe not the talk show appearances, but the lawsuit and media coverage will continue on for a while. I just hope that if she can avoid the hate, she does. Or better yet, that it doesn't happen at all. But I'm not naive. I know the world far too world to have hopes like that. So I guess I should hope that she is able to stay strong and come out of this whole process as a stronger, prouder individual.
Say What?:
"Ewww! How ungodly and gross. I hope they leave town."
"i hate gay people and lesbos,its sick to be with the same sex!!!!You can't bring a child into the world like that....Fade away"
"Hey San Francisco why not take old aaron and travis out there with you since it is populated mostly with homo's and trash they won't put up with anywhere else. All Louisa needs to add to its demise is a gay couple on national t.v. maybe if we could ever discover how to keep our idiots off national t.v. we could shake the dirt poor, inbred, barefoot, uneducated hill people image we have struggled with far to long Go on out there guys and let the whole world laugh at you while tara banks laughs all the way to the bank."
"There are no winners in this sick competition. Gays are just as lousy and nasty and useless as child molesters. Disgusting garbage. Drop them all on an island in the middle of the ocean and let them learn to work and maybe survive and be real men."
"i most definately do not believe in gay marriage i mean what if they adopt a kid and that kid grows up with 2 so called fathers, poor kid will be beat up everyday not to mention that teachers, people would think differently of the kids parents, gays do not need to take over the country just like the military and letting gays openly serve fuk that i spent 4 years in the army and i would not want a fag next to me in a foxhole or a fire fight i think they should be on the front lines as decoys. the thought of two men kissing in public sickenss me and it is something i wouldnt want my kids to see"
"Old homo's must have lost the competition for that big wedding, see no bloviating, boasting or squeeling out of their supporters, hurah. Now will you move to Calif. they like you little girlie boys out there. Way to go Tara B. good way to get rateings and smiley face on the way to the local bank. Sorry she had to accomplish that by exploiting our sick-o's, oh well, maybe next time girlie-guys."
--the above were all posted by anonymous people on the website Topix.