Boyd 1 Nancy Boyd Professor Gonsior Writing 1010 14 November, 2013 Homophobia I regret to announce that this is the

end. I am going now. I bid you all a very fond farewell. Goodbye. This is a quote from The Lord of the Rings. It is also one of the last Facebook statuses of Josh Pacheco, a young man from Fenton, Michigan who committed suicide due to intense bullying (Schuch). The reason for this harassment was not because of any hurtful actions of his, or because of any choices he made, but for his sexual orientation. This local teenager was tormented to the point of not seeing another day worth living because others mocked him for being attracted to men. Homophobia is an awful problem that has spread across the Michigan community and needs to be stopped before more lives are negatively affected by it. Homophobia is alive in the hearts of many people, to this day. Thats gay is a commonplace term by young people, and sometimes older, to describe something boring or uncool. It can be offensive and hurtful for a homosexual individual that a bad test grade or a poorly made YouTube video be compared to their sexual orientation. In October of 2013, the court in Michigan gathered to decide whether to remove the ban on gay marriage. However, the decision for marriage equality was moved to February 25th 2014 (Hopkins). Withholding equal rights in marriage is a problem for same sex couples. Spouses cannot give the person they love health coverage and cannot take medical leave to take care of them if they have grown ill. This is a right that should be

Boyd 2 given, because it has nothing to do with sexual orientation and everything to do with being a decent and kind human being. People are being persecuted for supporting equal marriage rights. Recently, a performing arts teacher from South Lyon was suspended from her job. This woman caused an issue with the administration at her Middle School because of a song that a student played in her class. The song was Same Love by Macklemore, a piece that promotes tolerance of same-sex couples and people who identify with all different sexual orientations. The teacher was not familiar with the song, so she asked if there was any inappropriate content in it such as If it was violent, if there was any profanity. When the student replied with a no, Ms. Johnson allowed her to play the song in class. America the brave still fears what we don't know and God loves all his children is somehow forgotten are some thought provoking lyrics for anyone, let alone middle school students. However, the administration castigated her for allowing the controversial song to be played in class and she was suspended without pay a few days (Fox 2 News). The fact that a song that speaks for tolerance and love is cast aside as taboo is alarming because songs about violence and degrading women are played at school dances without people batting an eyelash. Some people believe that allowing marriage equality in Michigan would open a Pandoras box of marriage rights and would let anyone marry a household item or otherwise not human companion. Brooks Patterson, an Oakland County executive, when asked about his feelings toward same-sex marriage he said, If the Supreme Court opens the floodgates, then I'm going to marry my golden retriever" (Hopkins). This statement is not only offensive, but it makes him sound thoroughly uneducated. He either truly

Boyd 3 believes that there is no difference between marrying someone of the same gender, and marrying an animal, or he has a terrible, offensive sense of humor that belongs far away from any position of political power. His comment may seem absurd, but it is a genuine fear that people have. The reality is that there is a big difference between having a marital relationship with a human being, and a creature that cannot consent to you. In response to his strong remark, a man from Farmington Hills said, "That's bestiality. My son is gay and could not do anything after his partner died and proceeded to remark that Brooks Patterson needed to grow up (Hopkins). When it all comes down to it, equality and human rights are no laughing matter. Same-sex marriage should be allowed in Michigan. Unfortunately, this issue will not be touched again until February, when it is promised that a decision on marriage equality will be made. The fear of change and the ever-present homophobia in the communities of Michigan are the factors that are slowing down the progress that should be happening right now. Equality is just within reach, but there are still many obstacles in the way of achieving it. Josh Pachecos suicide note simply read, Im sorry I wasnt able to be strong enough (The Huffington Post). Hopefully, others wont have to try to be strong anymore.

Boyd 4 Works Cited

Asher, Taryn. "South Lyon Teacher Suspended." Fox 2 News. N.p., n.d. 28. Nov. Web. 13 Nov. 2013.

Hopkins, Carol. "Defense of Marriage Cases This Week." The Oakland Press. N.p., n.d. 25 Mar. 2013. Web. 13 Nov. 2013.

Hopkins, Carol. "Patterson's 'sarcastic' Dog Remarks." The Oakland Press. N.p., 8 Apr. 2013. Web. 13 Nov. 2013.

Schuch, Sarah. "Parents Blame Bullying for Son's Suicide." The Flint Journal. N.p., 13 Dec. 2012. Web. 05 Nov. 2013.

Wong, Curtis M. "Josh Pacheco, Gay Michigan Teen, Committed Suicide After Intense Bullying, Say Parents." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 05 Dec. 2012. Web. 13 Nov. 2013.