I seriously don't know what to say. I am a public school teacher and in the 7 years I have been teaching at this school, I have had 2 kids in 6th grade come out to me, and it was heart wrenching. They were scared to death to let anyone else know. I felt the terror in their voice.
I really feel like until this racist, fundamentalist older generation dies off, there won't be any significant change in the way people think. These people run our government and stipulate such attitudes. The younger generation will be the light in the darkness. They are seeing the shootings, the tauntings and the bullying, and they see it being done to themselves or to their friends and it is turning the tide. Kids are coming out younger and younger these days and they will be the catalyst that swings the pendulum in the opposite direction.
Change never happens easily and it is stuff like this that really show how truly ugly and reprehensible hate is. Everytime Fred Phelps shows up with his hate army, it only does damage to his cause, because people can't take his brand of hatred, but they still listen to the preacher's subtle undertone of hatred in church on Sundays.
