The following is a letter I sent to Senator Stacey Campfield in regards to his recent inflammatory remarks, and about SB049, the "Don't Say Gay" bill. Should I receive a response, I will post it, but I honestly don't expect much. The man has the emotional capacity of a fig newton and the mental prowess of a plastic cup.
Dear Mr. Campfield,
My name is Patrick Hoffman. I grew up in
Knoxville, Tennessee, went to Karns High School, was in marching band,
theatre, was a editor and contributor for the school's literary arts
magazine, and was voted Most Unique by my graduating class. I am smart,
funny, and then, I was surprisingly popular, especially considering I
was a gay teenager living in "The Bible Belt" and attending one of the
more rural schools in the district.
My life did not come
easily, as teasing and bullying were issues that occurred on a nearly
daily basis. I was both mentally (and physically) threatened, persecuted
and assaulted by students who found my natural femininity and
flamboyant nature (traits I had expressed since my very early childhood.
Ask my mother) to be a point of ridicule and degradation. I was taunted
and tormented, slammed against lockers, pelted with mud, and for an
entire school year, was terrified of using the restrooms for fear of
possible (completely unwarranted) retribution. For what? For being
nothing but myself.
Thankfully, I had an amazing support
system. My mother and grandfather went out of their way to meet with
teachers, school counselors and principals. I was fortunate enough to
have the support of several faculty members who took great pride in
making sure all their pupils were treated honorably and fairly by their
peers. Without them, I may not be alive today, as suicide seemed to me,
like it does to so many teens, a way out, an ultimate answer.
But, I prevailed. I rose above adversity and discrimination, paving the
road to my future with the help of my family, friends, and an amazing
group of teachers.
Not all are as fortunate. In fact, of the
many, MANY gay men and women I know, I am a success story, a tale for
the ages, the stuff of legend. I was, and am, blessed to have the
strength of so many behind me.
However, with the passage of
SB049, the "Don't Say Gay" bill, the very system that helped me through
years of adversity will be swept aside and left to crumble, wasting away
into nothingness... the very same fate that befalls so many of our
nations young people, gay, straight, black, white and everyone in
between. I feel it is imperative for someone such as yourself to see
beyond what your own personal views and feelings are, and see the truth
of the world for what it is; school can be a difficult, trying and
sometimes dangerous place as it is, without limiting the functioning
support system that teachers like I had are able to provide their
students.
Beyond learning about the many gay men and women in
American and World History, men and women who have helped define and
defy, generation after generation, lies the very real truth that gay,
lesbian, bisexual and transgender teens suffer mercilessly at the hands
of those who seem them as less than human, as targets for attack, as
weak and unworthy and "unnatural" aberrations.
And when these
attacks are happening in schools, who do you think will stop them? If
SB049 passes, the answer is no one. You will have stripped
administrators and faculty of the power to step in and stop the
senseless abuse LGBT youth suffer at the hands of their peers, and all
because they can't say gay. How can these teachers and staff stop a
problem if they aren't allowed to even acknowledge it? How? They can't,
and this bill will only lead to more heartache and heartbreak for any
child that has to suffer because of who they are. It will lead to the
suffering of their families, and their friends.
It will lead
to more and more suicides that could easily be avoided. And you, and the
supporters of SB049 will be the ones to blame.
I urge you... Do NOT push this bill. It will lead no where good.
And before you attempt to argue about sex being taught to
kindergartners, or teachers confusing already vulnerable children, I
have read all of your sources, and I, like so many, many, MANY others,
have found them to be dated, irrelevant and false. None of your sources
are scientifically, MORALLY credible, if, ESPECIALLY IF, you believe in
equality, and the health and safety of your constituents.
I
leave you with this link, an article you might find enlightening, if one
such as you can be enlightened, about the danger of bullying and the
refusal to acknowledge homosexuality in schools.
http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/one-towns-war-on-gay-teens-20120202#ixzz1lHo6qpzc
Mr. Campfield, the prejudice and bigotry have to end. You can either
perpetuate it, or fight against it, and you have to step back and ask
yourself... Long after we are gone, when the world is finally at peace
and all men and women are viewed equal, what will historians have to say
about you and your time? Did you fight for what is right and true and
decent, against the bias and hate that pervades our society? Or did you
attempt to squelch freedom and put a blindfold and a gag across the face
of Lady Liberty?
Where will you stand, Mr. Campfield?
With all due respect,
Patrick Hoffman
Its a sad, sad day in the world of Occupy Wall Street. Oh, wait. No its not.
