First of all, let me just say this story is completely true and also very recent. My name is Chris Pieschel, I am 13 & I am a victim of bullying. (Isn’t everybody?) In this case, I was wearing a black & white sweat shirt to school with a light yellow t-shirt under that. I was proudly displaying it at my 8th grade noon hour until a homophobic kid suggested I was a homosexual because I was wearing that selection of clothing. Gay or not, what went through his head thinking it was okay? I made a little 15 seconds speech. I was furious (maybe I overeact, just a tad) so I decided to give him my version on how no matter what gender/sexual orientation/race/religious belief/political view you are, you’re still a human & deserve human rights. He was in kind of a cluster like any other bully looking for wise words. The other 10 seconds of my splurge were suggesting ‘even if I were gay, would it matter to you?’ His response (keep in mind, he used to be a great friend) was yes. I was shocked. So then again I asked him; ‘would you not be my friend if I were a homosexual?’ He said (quote) ‘I absolutely would not’. I was dumb founded. I was thinking how unfair it is to label people based on their sexual preference or whatever. Angry bully stormed off to swing very slowly and curious, clearly he was thinking about the stuff he just pulled. Me, not caring how many friends I lost, I asked for some support from the principal. So that night, I emailed her at 11:00p.m. because I needed to get some things off of my chest. Long story short, we discussed it over the principal’s company in her office. The principal asked: “Are you accepting of the homosexual community?” His response: “Heck no, it’s weird!!” Again, the principal asked for his reasoning. He choked on his words one after another until he started what looked like crying. It was inaudible at the time, so I didn’t know what to do. In a way I felt pretty bad, but in another way I felt like he should be crying because that’s what I did the previous night, I’m not gay, however, I’m a supporter of gay & lesbian rights. Everybody is a human & is deserved equal rights! (There’s always going to be a bright light at the end of every tunnel; just look forward & you’ll reach your destination!)
Most Sincerely, Chris Pieschel (13)