What subtle changes have you noticed over the last year?
My house is the "hang out" house, it's where my son and his friends gather to play video games, watch you-tube videos, and just hang out. (Sometimes they even use the pool!) This has given me the opportunity through the years to listen in on their conversations. (Yeah, since they never grasped the concept of inside voices the neighbors get to listen in too.)
While they were in middle school everything bad was "gay" this or "gay" that. I tried calling them on it a few times, but eventually I have to admit I gave up. Then one day last October it just stopped cold turkey. I know this because I was ready to pounce the next time I heard them call something "gay". In the last year I heard them say "gay" as a synonym for "bad" exactly once. It was followed by an uncomfortable silence and I never had to say a word.
At the first PLC meeting this September we talked about saying "that's so gay". One of my son's friends, who happens to be SPL, said they don't hear it much in high school anymore. I don't know what's happening in middle school, but I do know that if one of the younger kids says it while he's at scouts one of the older boys will speak up.
I know I've changed because of the events of last October. (As I'm composing this newsletter I'm wearing a Scouts for Equality t-shirt and rainbow shoelaces.) I hadn't realized how much it had affected my son until I was listening in last May as he was interviewed by Paul from the Channel 2 news. My son, who has had the unique experience of being outed as straight on both the local television news and the front page of the San Francisco Chronicle. Truly this has been a life altering event for both of us.
At the last meeting I showed this video for my Scoutmaster Minute:
 |
| Anti-Bullying PSA: The Price of Silence |
I know using a video is cheating, but we had the projector set for another reason. I also made available "I STAND UP TO BULLYING" bracelets to any scout who was willing to wear one. (They are available from Amazon. I asked my son if I should get blue or purple, he choose purple because it's a "cooler" color.)
Speaking of Purple:
Next Thursday is Spirit Day. Wear purple or go purple online on October 17th and help create a world in which LGBT youth are celebrated and accepted for who they are.
GLAAD Spirit Day Link
We made the flyers available at our troop meeting. I don't know how many of the scouts have purple shirts to wear or even if they will wear them if they have them, but fortuitously I do know most of them have purple bracelets to wear.
We really are changing the world into a better place.
If you have any stories to share about how the last year has affected you or your scouts please pass them along.
