Homophobia

This is apart of my "Phobia" series of poems, feel free to check out the others!

Homophobia

(Poem by Serenus)

 

11 year old Carl Joseph Walker-Hoover

Hung himself with an extension cord

Taunted and teased, day after day

He just couldn’t take it anymore

 

His mother had to cut him down

In the mist of her shock and horror

All of the “what if’s”

Running through her head

Shook her to the core

 

11 year old Jaheem Herrera

Hung himself with a belt

Bullied every single day

No one answered his cries for help

The word “gay”

Everyday drummed into his head

He wanted to be free from it

His 10 year old sister found him dead

 

These boys could’ve lived fully

But their lives were robbed

By middle school bullies

A mini-lynch mob

 

…But where do kids learn such behavior?

It has to be at home

The hate comes so easily

Their parents must condone …

 

Their parents must believe

It’s OK to tease

Someone who is different

Instead of letting them be

 

It’s OK-

To hound someone day after day

Just because YOU deem them as “gay”

“Grown-ups”

 Teach kids these things

By the way they behave

 

Slurs,

Laughter,

Derogatory Jokes

Never taking account

The feelings of other folks

 

Never taking notice

That your children are listening

And they’ll think its OK

To create hell

For another human

Just for existing

 

 Not teaching them

That some people are different

And it’s OK to have a view that’s opposite

So everyone can live freely

And not be held captive in the “closet”

Religion doesn't give you permission to hurt

You never know

The one you love the most

could be gay...so watch your words

There is really nothing more to debate

This issue is more about self-hate

Hating something about yourself

And taking it out on someone else

 

The reason some people

Are full of disgust and fear

Becomes a lot more clear

Perhaps when they see a gay person

It’s like staring into a mirror…

RIP

Author's Note

this is still fresh, will make edits later
tell me what u think








P.S. Im not gay, but i do know gay ppl and i have no problems with them because of it.

Reviews

[Sunny Skye]

Excellent meassage. And it's very true some people tease others because they are insecure and that's how they make themselves feel better or they see the samething in themselves. Good job!
I have gay friends and they're the best i am not gay but there is nothing wrong with been diffrent.

-SkyeBlanco

[Sirius King]

i agree 100%
we have to realize there is no such thing as "normal"
we are all different, and should respect those differences
even if we don't understand them

[Sunny Skye]

Excatly.
My friends always tell me your not normal (cause i'm crazy and weird i see things diffrently as well) so i be lik your not normal unless your diffrent and if your not diffrent your weird :P GEt it?

[Sirius King]

i get it lol

why follow the leader?...when u can BE the leader! :-)

[Sunny Skye]

Excatly!!! I always say that

[Sirius King]

its very true :-)

[Sunny Skye]

Yes it is and we should always try to be leaders of course with a positive mind we don't want people trying to take over the world. LOL :D

[Sirius King]

lol like Pinky and the Brain lol

[Sunny Skye]

Lol

[Sirius King]

:-)))

[Sunny Skye]

:P

[Coyote Poetry]

I believe we learn from our parent. I was lucky. My dad knew racism as a Mexican/Ojibwa man. Told me to respect all people. We must be the example. Watch what we say and do. Words can damage a life. Need more story and poetry like this. Teaches us to be kind. I like my simple rules of my grandfather. "Nothing good to say. Say nothing. Words and bad action can destroy a life." Thank you for sharing the poem.
Coyote

[Sirius King]

Nothing good to say. Say nothing.... great words

thanks for reading!

[Kelsey]

Wow, this is very raw and powerful. It's one of those things that is hard to read for fear of your reaction, but you're still drawn to it. It takes a special person to write something like that; lovely job.

[Sirius King]

it was a hard write...

thanx! im glad u read it :-)

[That_Guy]

that was tough to read, but I'm glad I did. Good job man, thanks for putting this out there. As a straight "alpha-male" there is no excuse for bullying

[Sirius King]

im glad u read it, i think its up to us str8 guys to put the homophobes in check
its just not cool or funny to hurt ppl like this...
thanx again!

[That_Guy]

I absolutely agree. I have quite a few Homosexual/Bi-Sexual friends and I've had to step up and say something to idiotic bullies many times. the hate needs to stop. great job bro

[Sirius King]

same here
thanx!

[Katie Lynn]

This is really sad and even more true. You really hit the nail on the head with this one. People these days should be ashamed of the way they think, narrow-minded and ignorant. Being different is a blessing. I know several gay people, boys and girls, and they are some of the kindest people I've ever known. If people had half as much heart as they do, the world wouldn't see bullying anymore. Everything would be so much more peaceful. Thank you for sharing this, it's very morally provocative. Well done!

[Sirius King]

yes it is sad, especially when ppl pick on the others that they perceive to be "weak"
nobody should have to go through this kind of harassment ...just for being themselves
its crazy, thanx for reading! :-)

[Katie Lynn]

Thanks for writing! :)

[That_Girl]

Every 'hanged' should be 'hung'

I was wary when I opened this but you surprised me. I wasn't sure how you'd tackle this but I liked it. I'm a bi girl and I got s**t in high school from random a******s... but I think it's a lot worse for boys. I watched my gay friends get terrorized... it's pretty disgusting. I like the poem though! Well done!

[Sirius King]

thanx i meant to change that earlier

i agree, some girls get picked on for being gay, but boys who seem weak or feminine really get brutally bashed...what really stood out about these kids were their ages...u really have to think what would make an 11 year old want to take his own life, it had to be hell living through that

[That_Girl]

Yeah it's horrible to watch, I can't imagine going through that. I used to get into fist fights defending my friends... guys would literally fight me to be on top. To emasculate the gay kid. Horrid.

[Sirius King]

its all about self hatred,,, if u have to beat someone bloody to make yourself feel better, its u with the problem ...not the other way around

[That_Girl]

It's horrible. I can't believe this is even an issue... people are childish.

[Sirius King]

very much so, but hopefully in time things will change
its hard to believe there are ppl who are still racist
but its all about ignorance, and again...self hate

[Soul Fire]

Wow. great work.very powerful

[Sirius King]

thanx for checking it out!

[Soul Fire]

you're welcome

[Sirius King]

:-)

[Raminta]

Any type of bullying in my opinion shows that persons low self esteem and they try to make themselves feel better by picking on people which is just not right anywhere. And I doo agree that it's a big issue, I got bullied myself few years back so I know how bad it feels. I think what your doing is great and keep going because somebody needs to start talking and I'm glad you done it, using this powerful poems as your tool. Well done.

[Sirius King]

very true
thanx :-)

[Raminta]

Your welcome. It's just so sad about all these young people, going through such drastic measures to solve this.

[Baby Ricochet]

That's Tragic. Great write.

[Sirius King]

yes it is,,,,thanx

[Baby Ricochet]

WHat Homophobes don't seem to think about is where where much of our art, culture and virtually all our fashion comes from. Most straight guys can't design anything. I'm a straight guy. Give me a pair of scissors and I'll probably stab myself in the eye.

[Sirius King]

same here man lol

[Brandon S. Whitten]

It is obvious we need to educate, been down that road before. Thankfully I'm here to share. Well written.

[Sirius King]

thanx!

[New Dawn]

What a sad but thought provoking poem. Children can be very cruel to each other - I think sometimes it is a defence mechanism - pick on someone else and no-one is picking on you. I find it hard to accept that being gay is such a social issue in this day and age - I like to think that life is getting better for gay people with better human rights and the right to marry etc but I suppose at 11 years old that is no consolation. It is always tragic when bullying reaches such a point - I try to teach my children tolerance of the people around them - if they respect others , others will respect them - but not all children receive the same message i am sure.

[Sirius King]

when u know better, u do better
its all about teaching and being willing to learn

we are all different, its time to get over it and move forward