Today, The National Day of Silence, has made me think about some recent events that unfortunately, should not have happened.

The first event that happened was brought to my attention through GLSEN. They reported that Carl Joseph Walker-Hoover hanged himself on April 6th. He was an 11-year-old, who did not identify as gay; however, he had to endure endless bullying including things about him being gay. His mother asked the school continually to deal with the problem, but it seems like nothing was done about it. Today would have been Carl’s 12th birthday, but unfortunately he could not take the bullying any more. It is absolutely horrible that he had to go through this, and at such a young age. This article can be found here.

Another incident that occurred recently was an attack at the University of Virginia. Five men attacked an UVa student and his friend. During the attack, the attackers yelled anti-gay slurs. Police believe it to be a “bias-motivated crime” with the motive being their perceived sexual orientation. According to the Associate Vie President and Dean of Students Allen W. Groves, “‘bias-motivated assaults’ are especially hurtful for students because there is no justification for the attack other than hatred.” This type of attack seemed fairly rare for this state, yet it is still very important to be aware that it is happening there, and it could happen anywhere. This article can be found here.

Hate is a very strong word and should not be used against anyone, no matter what. I know this is going to sound cliché, but why can’t people just accept everyone for who they are, and if they don’t like it then get over it? There has been enough hate is this world. It is time for peace. If only more people would participate in programs like Stop the Hate (http://www.stophate.org).