BBP STORIES: Facebook feedback

by

BBP STORIES: Facebook feedback

Central High School

TRANSCRIPT

When I was in middle school in, like, seventh grade, I thought that I was bi. And so, you know, I was scared because I didn’t think anybody would, like, accept me or anything. And I got, um, a girlfriend.

And, anyways, um-, yeah, I got a girlfriend and she, like, whatever. And I, like, made a status about that, about how I didn’t care and whatever, that it was my life. Well, like, yeah, I was pretty young. I was like 12. But like I just thought that, like, that was me. And that’s what I wanted to be.

Well, I made the status about it on Facebook. And um-, God, people who like were family to me, they just were making rude comments all over the place, telling me I didn’t I know what I was, didn’t know what I wanted, how, like, bad that was. An, liked nasty. And, like, it was just rude, and, like, I cried a lot. And there were people there who were, like, my supporters who were like, “Oh, it’s OK. Blah, blah, blah. Good for you. I support you.”

And then, like, you just sit there, and you—the supporters don’t matter because you have all these people telling you who you are and what you’re supposed to be and how bad that is and that you’re nasty and disgusting and whatever. And I just said, “You know, whatever. Like, it’s my life. I’m going to live it.” But it just got harder because, like, you just see, like, posting one thing on a social network, like, how everybody can just jump on you—like, people who you don’t know, or people who you love and you know a lot, like family. And they all judge you for, like, who you are and say lots of rude things for no reason. Like, it’s, like, not OK.

And you know, yeah, I was probably too young to just make a decision like that. But, like, I was brave enough to tell people. And it kind of just got shot back in my face. But the whole reason I’m telling the story is that it doesn’t really matter who says anything to you. It doesn’t matter what they say. If you like someone or a different gender or any of that, that’s up to you. Like, it’s your life, you’re going to live it. If you want to be bi, or gay, or whatever you want to be, then be it. Because it’s your life, and that’s something that took me a while to learn. And everybody should know that. And everybody should be OK with that. And people who don’t support gay or bi or lesbians, just only have one way of thinking.

I know, like, a lot of bi and gay people, and you know, I’m still, like, kind of bi-curious. But, like, I’m more straight. But that doesn’t mean that I don’t love everyone and that—. I mean, I don’t even really know what I am. So, but just, just be yourself, no matter how long it takes, no matter who judges you. Because being you is the best thing you can do. Thank you.

, , , , , , , , , ,

BBP STORIES: Here in my church, I have a lesbian pastor

by

BBP STORIES: Here in my church, I have a lesbian pastor

West High School

In my church here in The Cities, I have a lesbian pastor. You always see these things on the news or on the Internet when you look up things like, “What are some things about gay marriage?” and stuff like that. And you always see people protesting. “Oh, it’s against the Bible. God hates gays. Um-, you know, you’re going against God’s word.” And I think it’s a nice slap to the face to them that my pastor’s a lesbian. And I’m pretty proud to have her as a pastor.

I always go around bragging, “Yeah. You should come to my church sometime. We’re pretty great. I mean, everybody’s welcome. Our pastor’s a lesbian. She’s pretty cool.”

I mean, it’s one thing to have a woman as a pastor these days. But it’s another thing for her to be a lesbian. I just think it’s really cool that we have that, you know, around here in The Cities.

And, I don’t know. At a young age, I was kind of exposed to gay people. Around fifth grade, my friend, who’s like two years older than me or something, she came and told me, “Hey, I, I think I’m a bisexual.” And I didn’t know how to react at first. I mean, how do you react to something like that? I was young, and I didn’t really know a lot about it. It was just sort of always, like, there, but never really, like, prominent in my life. Um—. Yeah. So, I was always afraid, like, “Oh, well, what if she tries hitting on me? What do I even do?” And stuff like that.

But, you know, over the years I kind of became more accustomed to it, like, “OK, it’s a thing. That’s pretty rad. I can accept that.” And through the years, I’ve been meeting more and more people and finding out more about myself. I think I’m slipping that way, too. I feel a lot more comfortable around chicks. And guys always, like, make me nervous. I’m never really comfortable around them. And girls, I—they’re  pretty. OK. So, I guess that’s really most of what I have to say.

Back to my pastor, when we were choosing pastors, like, cause one of ours was retiring. So we were choosing, like, who our new pastor would be. And there were a few people who were like, up to plate, and my dad, he was sort of against it. He’s like, “A woman as a pastor. I don’t think she’ll do it right. And even, worse, you know, she’s a lesbian.” I mean, you always hear lots of mean words said about people like that. Like um-, I’ve heard people refer to her even behind her back as “fish breath” and “carpet licker,” and I never really appreciated that. And I would always think to myself, “You’re, you are an ill-informed uneducated swine.” And, I mean, if that’s what they want to do, and that’s how they want to live, then you should accept that.

But she’s, she’s a pretty good pastor. I like her. She makes services nice and fun, and I like the openness and, like, just how everyone is truly welcome. And everyone can just be who they are.

I participated in the Day of Silence a few weeks ago, or something. And that was pretty rad, too. I liked that, a Day of Silence to honor those who had committed suicide because they were bullied because they were gay. And I guess, yeah, I’m cool with it. I really love how it’s so greatly accepted these days. And, it’s just really—it’s a cool thing.

, , , ,

BBP STORIES: I’m going to talk about my brother

by

BBP STORIES: I’m going to talk about my brother

West High School

TRANSCRIPT

 

I’m going to talk about my brother

 

I’m going to talk about my brother, who is gay. When I was in—let’s see—I was, I guess maybe 18 or 19 when he came out. And at that point in my life, it was not a surprise to anybody. And it was something that I think I took with stride and that he was just, you know, it was to be expected, and it was totally normal, or whatever you want to say.

But, when I was maybe 12, 13, 14—he was seven years younger. So, when I was at that age—when I was 13 years old, 12 years old, 15 years old, trying to figure out what a man was or what masculinity was or how I was supposed to act—I definitely resented at that age that I had a brother who did not fit any of that.

And I think that it’s something that—I don’t think I was a particularly mean brother, but I did mean things. And looking back on that, I think one of the reasons that I was mean was because he was gay, or because I thought he might be gay, or because the way he was acting was something that was negative or that was portrayed in the media or portrayed, you know, or that me and my friends would rag on each other for. For, you know, dancing around in drag at the age of five. It was something that, if he did that and my friends came over from middle school, it was something that I was ashamed of, unfortunately, at the time.

And so, I think something that—Luckily, I’ve changed a lot and, and I now—through just growing up, and meeting new people, and, and reflecting on who I am—I realize that, that that’s not who I am anymore.

And I just think that there are millions of other boys in America who are going through the same thing, that are trying to define their masculinity or who they are by defining who other people—you know, who else is not a man. And that is at the expense, usually, of people that are not gender conforming. That are not meeting the standard of what a man is supposed to be like: that they play sports, that they are wearing a T-shirt and jeans, and those sort of things.

And, so, I think for the rest of my life, I will use, use that knowledge when I’m working with, with 12-year-olds, with 13-year-olds and teenagers in a high school. And I think about that. I think about what’s going through their head, consciously or subconsciously, because I, when I was 12, I wasn’t thinking my brother was gay, but subconsciously, I was maybe ashamed of it. And, so, that’s something that I think about and that I try to take into account when I’m working.

, , , , , , ,