2011: A good year to be gay - unless you were a beaten down kid

Aaron Hicklin, Editor of Out Magazine, wrote a piece in the Guardian about how things have changed for the better for gay people. That may be true unless you were a bullied gay teen. Advances in marriage equality and the repeal of DADT don't mean much if you are considering suicide.

We need to remember that our children are still murdering themselves at three times the rate of their heterosexual peers. These kids are some of the most courageous people on the planet. Every day they go to school knowing that they will be taunted, ridiculed and even physically assaulted. Imagine if adults faced similar circumstances in their workplace.

The missing piece is education.

In too many schools, we still have adults, including teachers, counselors and principals, who are enablers and even instigators. It is ignorant parents who create the little monsters who are bullying and, essentially, murdering our children.

Idiots like Rick Perry, who condone anti-gay bigotry, don't help. In fundie-land cretins like Bryan Fischer (American "Family" Association's spokesbigot) claim that gay youngsters kill themselves because they know that being gay is wrong. Parents hear that crap and some believe that crap. Other things that parents hear and believe    that make things worse    are that their Tommy or Jane is misbehaving and that their behavior can be changed.

Parents are still marching their youngsters to quacks like Marcus Bachmann. They expect their kids to be "fixed." It's the parents that need to be fixed and the kids need to know that.

So yes, Aaron, I think it's great that DADT was repealed and marriage equality came to New York. Mr. Olson and Mr. Boies have done a tremendous job on Prop 8. The Trevor Project, GLSEN and GLAAD have all done great work in 2011. I just think it's important that we don't forget about these children.

Related articles

• 2011: A good year to be gay (guardian.co.uk)
• Pat Buchanan: Marriage Equality Is 'Absurd,' DADT Repeal 'Indoctrinates' Soldiers (thinkprogress.org)