This goes out to all the people who ever felt like it wasn’t safe for them to be themselves — that were attacked (verbally or physically) for being a “threat” to someone else’s beliefs about race, ethnicity, income status, residential neighborhood, physical/mental disability, sexual orientation, gender, religion, wardrobe, style (hair, makeup, tattoos, piercings etc)
While it’s true that people deserve to be more than just tolerated, it’s important to acknowledge that violence against others is rooted in the lack of or absence of tolerance. & while being accepted & approved of is ideal, it’s important to also acknowledge that people also do not want to be attacked, which is why tolerance is often addressed first.
Being visible & vulnerable by being yourself or showing the world who you is a form of activism. If you’ve ever read any of the comments written for Lady Gaga, Dwyane Wade, or Sara Ramirez when they talk about sexuality/gender, then you know how hurtful people can be when it comes to things they don’t agree with or understand. But life for them goes on.. Not that it’s ok, but because those people have freedom of speech to comment about things that have nothing to do with them, you also have the freedom to not respond, because most troll accounts don’t thrive off of your inaction, but your reaction. This is not to excuse the behavior of people that find joy in harassing others, but to simply highlight that some of them thrive off of your attention to them when you ‘take the bait’ & engage in their negativity.
There is strength in numbers & community support is important. Some family at home or some teachers/principals at school aren’t always supportive because they, too, are judging you for the color of your skin, your parents’ divorce, your uncle’s drug addiction, your MI cousin, your mohawk, your outfit, your lipstick, your gay best friend, your black nail polish etc etc etc. So find your support system. No active support system? Consider creating one, & equip yourself with a healthy outlet for stress, because you’ll need one.
& while it seems cliche, taking our power back requires us to grow in our confidence. Once you are gaining confidence within yourself, others’ opinions of you won’t matter as much.. because even though misery loves company, so does joy & you will begin to shift your focus to where it’s most important that you gain your feedback from — even when others try so desperately to bring you down.
