"That's so gay,"

You can't deny it. You've all heard someone use this phrase, in some form or another, at least once in your lives, and if you haven't, I praise you, for you cannot imagine how many feelings are hurt when the ones that do look over at their buddy and sneer in hate those three condescending words.

Bullying comes in many forms, but the most common is pre-judgment: making an assumption about a person that do not know enough about to criticize (not like you should in the first place). Those assumptions turn into rumors and pretty soon, the rest of the crowd starts to believe it. The victim, then, can experience many unfortunate fates due to that fact. Some can be more extreme than you think.

According to "Introducing Issues with Gay Marriage", "The fight for queer civil rights is as important to the twenty first century as the fight for black civil rights was to the twentieth." Personally, I am not, and never will be, ashamed to say I am friends with many homosexual people. From where I'm standing, how they feel about the world is probably 110% different, but I do know that they want the same equality as everyone else.

High school is a time for friends, learning in the present, and planning for your future, but to some it can be a living nightmare. Gay rights are more serious than you might think. We're all equal and deserve freedom and individuality whether we're black, white, rich, poor, straight or gay. Our traits shouldn't restrict us from anything, but sadly, that's not the reality.

It's an inevitable fact we can escape from- devastatingly, bullying in school is a part of life, but not being allowed to make a commitment is astonishing. I've stressed this many times throughout my life, and I'll say it again. You have no idea how much you hurt someone. I tried explaining this to my sister and her best friend, and all I got was shrugged shoulders and a "So what?".

So what?

Like every other teen, I've been a victim of bullying, too. That should be no surprise. For some of us, it's a natural instinct to keep quiet when we get bullied. I'm one of those people. I don't want people to know what's wrong and that itself is wrong. There are kids who are so scared, they give up and let it happen to them, even though they hate it.

Branching out to a different level, Rosa Parks was never one to keep quiet about what she believed in. Segregated, discriminated, and separated from whites, she was the one who made a change. She was the one who stood her ground and stepped up to the plate and protested.

No one wants to live a double life, but on the outside, you can never tell. You can be the one to step up to the plate, and forgive me if it sounds like a cheesy commercial, but did you ever think of the ones who weren't given the chance to let their voice be heard? Words can kill. BBC News reported:

"A large proportion of lesbian, gay and bisexual pupils who are bullied by their classmates try to commit suicide, according to research.
A study suggests that half of them contemplate killing or harming themselves, and four in 10 actually harm themselves at least once.
Almost a third harm themselves on more than one occasion.
The research also indicates that 17% - nearly one in five - display symptoms associated with post-traumatic stress disorder later in life."

Whether it be believable or not, there are some parents who, when their son/daughter comes out to them, disown their children due to their religion. That is barbaric. Your religion shouldn't determine who you can or can't be. God loves all; He doesn't judge who you love.

If God created us all as special people with our own talents and traits and loved us unconditionally, He wouldn't set restrictions on the beings He loves with all His heart and soul. To question your faith would be to question the Lord, I know, but the Lord never discriminates. The Lord loves and accepts you for who you are because He created you and put you on this Earth for a reason. To be yourself.

Whether you believe in Him or not, Jesus died on the cross for US. Not just 1/3 of us.

You won't go to hell for showing compassion!

"PSALM 46:1-2 GOD is our refuge and strength, ready to help in times of trouble. So we will not fear, even if earthquakes come and the mountains crumble into the sea."

There are many religions that don't allow gay or lesbians, and that is why, if I had to classify myself under a religion, it would be Christian, but truthfully, I believe in pieces of many different religions and cultures. I believe my God is my God, anyway I want him to be, since I'm what He made me. I believe in Greek Gods and Goddess in real life, meditation from Buddhism, and the Holy God from The Bible of Christianity.

Moral of the story- No matter what God you believe in, He/She will always love you. Religion shouldn't discriminate you from the rest of the world. You are important to your God, so why would He ban gays? It doesn't make sense, and I'm sure hypocrisy isn't a trait God wants to see you possess, but yet He loves those who are hypocrites no matter what! He loves all.

Both politics, laws, even the government can be changed. Segregation and voting laws have change throughout the years, all to benefit and strengthen the society, and gay marriage laws should be no different. Promotions to get involved include: Day of Silence on April 16th and NOH8. Celebrities like Mark Hoppus from Blink 182 and Geoff Rickly from Thursday both show their support, and so can you.

Imagine life if you didn't have any support. Overcoming an addiction, dealing with a disease, or getting help from a friend on how to ask out your crush are all types of support people receive every day. If you support same sex marriage and gay/lesbian rights you are adding so many more people to support, and they need it. Prop 8, or "The California Marriage Protection Act", is a vote that restricted same sex marriage in the state. 1,120,801 people fought against gay rights. The government says they want a diverse community, yet they're all against gays?

If you're going to be a hypocrite, at least be a smart one.

"Treat others they way you want to be treated."

Think twice about the jokes and support the homosexual community. In a way, yes, homosexuals are so gay, but they're proud to be who they are.

It's just like how one of my friends heard, "I didn't choose to be gay; I was chosen."