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Love and Peace


Kohaku

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So there has been a post going around Tumblr for awhile and I think it has some things that need to be said here.

 

It is illegal to be gay in 76 countries.

 

It is illegal to be gay in 76 countries.

 

It is illegal to be myself in 76 countries.

 

 

First off the number 76.This comes from a UN report from 2011. If we use a bit of Google we find that the number is currently a bit higher. But the point stays the same, it is illegal for me to be myself in 76+ countries.

 

Many of the countries have harsh imprisonment laws among other forms of punishment such as whippings. Or worse, some countries have the death penalty.

 

I can be imprisoned for being myself.

 

I can be killed for being myself.

 

Even in the United States it is not safe for me to be myself, there are states such as Louisiana that have had sting operations meant to target gay adults. Not to mention there are still a lot of hate crimes. Even in New York which is a very progressive area, there were a bunch of hate crimes that cropped up earlier this year.

 

I will stand against homophobia and transphobia. I will stand up for equal rights. Calling someone out for being hateful and harmful is not insulting them or hurting them. A lot of their hateful words have done more harm than calling them a bigot has ever (or will ever) done to them. However by calling people out on these issues hopefully it can inspire change.

 

Just because someone believes something that is hurtful does not mean they will always believe it. People do have the power to change.

 

BZPower is going to be a safe place. In fact in order to survive I believe BZPower needs to become a safe place. So many websites and communities are not safe places on the internet. There is a lot of bulling. Bullying has led to so many people committing suicide. I don't want BZPower to be like those places, I want BZPower to be a place where everyone is accepted for who they are.

 

I care for the people on BZPower, many of them have helped me through so many hard times in my life. Even now I've got great friends who have helped me through things (such as Hurricane Sandy). There are so many times that I've wanted to simply give up, even recently I've been going through some huge depression regarding my situation. However, I've met so many wonderful people here and they have all impacted me in some way and it has kept me going. There have been multiple times in my life where I have been in such dark places, and I've had great friends who have pulled me out of those places.

 

Let's make BZPower a safe place for everyone. A place where everlasting friendships can continue to be forged. A place of love and peace.

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I share your hopes of BZPower being a safe place for anyone. However, certain people here choose to blatantly ignore the rules set by the awesome staffers and continue their attempt at spreading their hurtful and poisonous beliefs. On the other hand, there are also lots of members, staff or not who continue to stand up for what is just and fair. We're also progressing forward too, with the BZPower Gender Squad being set up. I hope that future generations create change and make the world a safer place to live in.

 

This has been BZP's Gender Ninja, out! *trips and falls on face*

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I quite agree that bigotry should not be tolerated, in any form, but I am somewhat skeptical of the idea some have put forth that reporting those whose views are unacceptable and then not arguing with them is insufficient - that it is better to get into a shouting match than to allow the fools five minutes of shouting into an uncaring void before the staff get to them.

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The question is not whether or not those who would express their hate should be directly confronted. The answer to that one is obviously yes. Why? Because the true question is why should those who would express their hate be given any sort of idea that they have any right to spew their hateful and hurtful verbosities on others. Most of those who would go out of their way to attack others (verbally, virtually, or physically) are in some manner cowardly (as most bullies and abusers are) and would not be so eager to express their distasteful views if they knew the repercussions to them would be swift and consummate. It is only when society turns a blind eye or chalks it up to "well they're just set in their ways" that hatred is allowed to fester and grow. This is a pervasive fact. For evidence of this, simply see Niemöller's "First they came...".

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I am not arguing with any of that - I just think that getting them suspended/banned for their nonsense might be more productive than giving them a blog-war's worth of attention, in which they get further opportunities to spray their nonsense all over the place.

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