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by Scott Brunscheen
received May 1, 2002
Not too long ago, I was on the internet researching, when up in the "news" corner of my browser came a hyperlink about an Iowa teen being harassed. Curious, I clicked it and read a truly pathetic story about Jerryn Johnston and the harassment he has put up with. The worst part of it was that it only justifies one of the many stereotypes of small-town Iowa.
Recently, at my school, there is a push for a more accepting environment for everybody. Teaching tolerance should be a goal of every school, whether it be in Gilbert, Iowa, or Chicago, Illinois. We go to school primarily to learn, yet our entire characters are often shaped by the happenings of high school and prior educational settings. I am not gay, so therefore can't directly sympathize with Jerryn; but a very close friend of mine is. He's the only "out" person at my school, and took a lot of harassment the first year of being openly gay. I saw with him, and friends at even larger metro-schools, how horrific it is to be placed in that situation. Whether or not somebody is homosexual is irrelavent as to how they should be treated.
To Jerryn, though: congratulations. Education is the only medium through which people will grow to be accepting . That goes for the rest of the school. Eventually, everybody will have some contact with a gay person, and it's better now than later to learn how to be tolerant. Tolerance doesn't mean you are in agreement; it just means that you treat them like any other human being. And keep this in mind: homosexuality isn't a choice. Who would choose a life of discrimination and harassment?
While there have been millions of cases of harassment around the country, recognizing it is the first step in the eradication of it. For all of those who believe that their opinion won't make a difference: Just as negative opinions can be contagious, positive ones have the capability of spreading as well. Don't be afraid to state your mind; and once you do, stand firmly in you position.
Scott Brunscheen
West Des Moines, Iowa