Hiding Behind Homophobia

Like a feeble relation who refuses to stay in his room during the dinner party,
President Bush broke his election time quarantine this week and hit the campaign
trail. In a scene that should not only disgust, but frighten, Bush performed his old
chestnut “It’s The Queers” routine for a packed house of over 4,000 in Indiana’s
Silver Creek High School. “Just this week in New Jersey, another activist court issued
a ruling that raises doubt about the institution of marriage. We believe marriage is
between a man and a woman” Bristled Bush in reference to New Jersey’s recent pro-
gay court ruling. The crowd rose to their feet in complicity, and red, white, and blue
pompoms danced to the rhythmic chants of “U-S-A – U-S-A”.
With no record on which to garner support for his party, considered in fact an
embarrassment to most of his constituents, Bush tried desperately to turn back the
hands of time; to re-inspire his Bible Belt base by reiterating promises long ago
broken. It worked in 2004 - it could work again. After all, Christianity is founded on
forgiveness. Besides, his silence on the gay marriage issue after his 2004 win, has
taken their crusade out of the public spotlight, and them along with it. But fear not:
Bush is back – and this time he’s after your children.
The FBI consistently ranks anti-gay violence as the third most frequent form of bias-
motivated crime. Of those committing these crimes, one in three are under the age of
18, so it is not only bad politics to indoctrinate children into a mind-set of permissible
hatred, but it is also downright dangerous. With alpha-wars and peer pressure, High
School can be a foreboding place for any teenager; for queer kids, it is often
terrifying. Even the perception of being queer can get a teen ostracized or bullied by
their peers. The statistics prove it out, the harassment of LGBT students correlate
with: lowered GPA scores, increased absenteeism due to perceived threat, and lower
aspirations regarding attendance at college.
According to the Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network, 4 out of 5 LGBT
students report being verbally, physically, or sexually harassed at school because of
their sexual orientation. Over 82% report that faculty rarely, if ever, intervenes to end
this harassment. Students themselves rarely report the incidents for fear of reprisal,
or their expectation of indifference on the part of the faculty. In other words: things
haven’t changed much since you were in High School.
Perhaps George Bush should consider these stats into his next No Child Left Behind
Act instead of drafting opt-out clauses aimed at funneling kids into Iraq. But he wont,
he is a politician doing what politicians do; you can’t blame a pig for rolling around in
garbage when it’s hungry. The game was never really “It’s The Queers”, the game is
and always has been “It’s The Votes”. What you can hold responsible is a school
system that purportedly exists to inform and enlighten, yet will play host to modern-
day witch-hunts such as this. You can also hold responsible a submissive faculty
whose indifference to a large segment of their students is incomprehensible.
As for the parents of these students, one can only assume (and hope) that they
weren’t privy to the president’s agenda, that if in fact they were, they wouldn’t permit
their children’s attendance at this contemporary clan meeting. Because when you
gather the children together in order to pass on your own prejudices, and they
naively cheer, chant, salute, and swing their pompoms in joyful celebration of their
righteousness over others, a contemporary clan meeting is exactly what you have.