ag-bashing’ fure a second opinion “FAG-bashing.” That's what it used to be called. When F was a teenager, some high school students took great delight in beating up homosexuals — or anyone suspected of being a “queer,” a “homo,” or a “faggot.” A small number of teens would actually go out of their way to plot and plan vicious physical assaults of their peers, simply because they appeared to be different. At the time I wondered about what kind of twisted machismo drove some of my acquaintances to brag about such savage behavior. Some of them were simply bullies; oth- ers seemed to be severely threatened by the very idea of homosexuality. At an age when youth are only begin- ning to come to terms with their own sexuality, perhaps it’s understandable that there would be confusion and uncertainty over such an issue. Bur the Jevel of aggression was not only repugnant, it was inexcusable and should have been discouraged. In ret- rospect, I'm ashamed that I didn’t do more to prevent these violent attacks. . On some occasions, when the young thugs couldn’t identify any homosexuals in their own peer groups, they would make an excursion to Vancouver's West End, where many gays live. One member of the group would then be designated to act as adure, openty tiring with homosexuals until some- one could be found whe was Willing to go for a walk in the park, Once they reached a prearranged secluded spot, the ambush would occur and the living davlights would be beaten out of the unsuspect- ing victim. Such assaults were only very rarely reported to the police. Even though we're today living in more tolerant times, it’s appalling to learn that “fag-bashing™ still occurs. And it’s both shocking and abominable to sore that the suicide rate amony young gay men is almost 14 times higher than among, heterosexuals. So when the B.C. Teachers’ Federation recently pledged itself to help elimi- nate the irrational phobia of homosexuality, there should have been applause, not con- demnation. Some critics said that the teachers were trying to promote homosexuality. Others suggested that it was an attempt to recruit high school students into a gay lifestyle. Stop for a moment to consider just how ludicrous these charges are. Would a person of any age willingly join a club or an organization when the only notable benefits consisted of social ostracization, ridicule, harassment, shame and possi- ble physical violence? Clearly, homosexuality isn’t some kind of a casual lifestyle decision. The small percentage of homosexuals in the world are simply different from the overwhelming majority of us. They’re born wee LOOK FOR US ON p://www.nsnews.com ANADA'S HOST WANTE D NOW IN WHISTLERD 1967 - 1997 30th Anniversary SOR INSURANCE with arcimpulse hae attracts them to members of the same SUN, Ard if the facts about this issue aren't being effectively learned at home, then theres abviously a role for our schools to be educating our Kids about the subject. In this sense, | strongly agree with the views expressed by Kit Krieger, the West Vancouver teacher who was recently elected president of the BCTF. According to Kreger: “Tf vou can’s address the baste emotional and physical needs of the students, teaching is impossible.” We live in a world where homosexuality is slowly emerging from the closet. It's now possible to identify zavs or lesbians who are movie stars, celebriries, athietes, politicians, or just the neigh- bors down the street. At the same time, there's still a great deal of intolerance, denial and ignorance which leads to irra- tional fears and unnecessary social trauma. How would you preter your children to learn about this sensitive subject? Through open and honest discussion at home and in the classroom? Or through the cranky, hate- ful rantings of individuals who are obviously insecure about their own sexuality? es, "nt referring to the venomous nonsense that con- tinues to spew forth on this issue from my crotchety tel- low-colummnists, Doug Collins and Trevor Lautens. For whatever deep, dark reasons, wher it comes to extreme fear of homosexuality, they can’t scem to give it up. But 1 won- der if they could be persuaded to shut up? For it’s mean-spir- ited views such as theirs thar 3 trenshaw @ DARRYL STRACHAN with our sister co. Local Automotive, 1090 Millar Creek Rd. for complete collision & mechanical repairs. 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