Guys,

I now live in the Pacific North West.

There is a (small-medium) disturbance relating to some baker (Aaron Klein of Sweet Cakes in Gresham) who is "standing on his principles" and defying the law by refusing to make a cake for two lesbian customers wedding celebration. He called them "abominations before God" and reduced one of the couple to tears. Basically old fashioned discrimination.
{http://www.oregonlive.com/gresham/index.ssf/2013/02/same-sex_couple_files_complain.html}

Meanwhile about a week before this broke the news, the tragic story of Jadin Bell unfolded. He was a (another?) gay teen suicide victim of bullying at school.
{http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/04/jadin-bell-dead-gay-oregon-teen-hanging_n_2617909.html}

My Comment is, am I the only one who sees the relationship between these two events? Is there a lesson here for Survivors of SA and CSA?

Yes.

As long as we suffer the stereotypes of GLBT males to be public, uttered with impunity, and lauded as truth, we continue to live in a society that will taciturnly accept the consequences of allowing those views room to inspire action. Rape. Discrimination. Inaction.

For every Aaron Klein who thinks it is "his right" to treat GLBT like second class citizens, there is a Jadin Bell whose life is complicated by the fallout of being one of those "second class citizens".

For every public utterance of "he probably pushed himself on those straight boys" there is a Mathew Sheppard who pays the ultimate price for allowing these points of view to go unchallenged.

I commit to you today. Right now. At this very moment, that I will stand in condemnation of those who imply:
1) that men don't get raped
2) that gay men "wanted it"
3) that incest/molestation doesn't matter because victim was gay
4) that women can't rape
5) that silence in the face of SA & CSA is EVER appropriate

I am not an activist. What I am is aware of the consequences of the status quo. When society admits that hate is a crime, the Jadin Bells of the world will stop dying. Isn't it about time?

Geoff

People like Mr. Klein have Jadin's blood on their hands. I hope in some way Jadin is appropriately memorialized. Assuming his family was supportive, I also hope they can channel their fury into making certain this never happens again in their community and let it be Jadin's legacy, much the same as Matthew Shepard.

As upsetting as your post was, G, I'm glad you put it up. Lousy way to start life in your new home, however. And this happened in Portland of all places?

I dunno what it is, but I've lately been displaying a temporal perspective on things. Despite that news, progress is being made...imo, just not fast enuf to save young lives like Jadin's. The issue of bullying is getting the attention it deserves and some communities are indeed responding. Bigoted religious extremists like Mr. Klein who bully are also getting the negative attention they deserve. And there are hate crime laws on the books everywhere.

For all our imperfections - and who doesn't have 'em? - it was those of us who are Boomers who decided we were fed up with Vietnam, for example, and raised hell. In 1969, we also decided we were fed up with NYPD harassment at Stonewall and kicked some police butt. Not to gloss over the tragedy of Jadin - today's environment is such that he most certainly will NOT be forgotten and his school will at least pay a moral and financial price - but that's a pretty good legacy of our own and the momentum remains ours.

There is a saying I once heard that says evil flourishes when good men remain silent and do nothing.

I believe there is good and evil, I believe that we have seen so many embrace evil toward someone different than they are whether it be race, sexual orientation, economic status, sex, religion no matter what community you look at - you have some element of evil inside of there. When someone stands up and stands against evil I believe we see love, friendship and those other things that are good in this world. We are not ever promised that evil will not touch us at some point but we can as individuals decide what each of us will do when evil makes its presence known. Thanks for writing your post G. In today's economy its hard for me to fathom why a business would look for ways to turn customers away.

I commit to you today. Right now. At this very moment, that I will stand in condemnation of those who imply:
1) that men don't get raped
2) that gay men "wanted it"
3) that incest/molestation doesn't matter because victim was gay
4) that women can't rape
5) that silence in the face of SA & CSA is EVER appropriate.....

Count me as one who will stand with you