Comment Of The Year Edition

A friend of mine, sitting close by, was born in 1963. He's a tough farm boy who has always stood up for the underdog. He might have involuntarily become the first dude in Canada to be a public high school straight ally.

Picture this: 1978, a kid smaller than he, outed as gay, wee tiny dude. Kid is gonna get shit kicked like he has every day since grade 9. Friend stands up and says " he might be queer, but you guys are assholes". He takes the lumps for the kid and does for every queer kid in his school regardless of others calling him a homo or whatever. See, he stood up and said it was wrong...and he still does.

To this day, the simple farm boy and stock car racer loathes what Republicans preach. He votes NDP in Canada and Democrat in the states, thanking his dual citizenship. He loves people as they are. To him, the substance of a man is measured by his deeds and not his race, religion, or sexual orientation.

And this brings me back to a comment made by a reader; one I knew in high school. She made a difference in my life and helps others now.

Here she is:

who are we talking about? I don't need to know, I don't like them already... Bullying is the most cowardly act that I have been witnessed to and victim to. People that bully behind the cloak of the internet are the worst possible kind. Cowards. I wish I could talk to all teenagers and children being bullied and let them know that it does end, it does get better. The losers that bully you in school usually hit their peak in high school. How sad for them! They go on trying to relive their 'glory days', and usually end up sucking at life.

One of the stories of overcoming bullies actually involves you Mika, but I'm not sure if you remember it. I remember walking in on you being bullied in the stairwell at CCI by a guy that was three times your size. He was grilling you about your sexual preference and asking you extremely inappropriate questions. I remember he had you cornered and there were people standing all around, joining in, and I went through the crowd and told you to come outside with me. One of the girls in the crowd grabbed me and said 'Mandy, don't you know she's a lesbian, if people see you with her, they'll think you're one too'. I remember thinking, 'all of you are just so sad and pathetic'. Being bullied as a kid put a huge scar on me, on the outside and the inside. Thankfully, I was able to get through it. People that are bullies in their adult life make me think the way I did on that day. You are all so sad and pathetic....