So it came as no surprise to me when I learned the results of a recent study confirming that gay, lesbian and bisexual teens are four times more likely to commit suicide than heterosexual teens. The study also confirms that GLB teens are far more likely to be threatened or injured with a weapon on school property. Consequently, the same teens are more likely to not attend school. CNN broadcasted this news during the week that preceded the much-anticipated arrival of Fred Phelps' disciples in Ames. I must confess that I went there myself, and I was drawn in briefly by the photographs of children he has brainwashed and the so-called demonstrators in a cemetery, but I regret going there now.
Hatred deserves no audience.
Phelps' people put on a tasteless little show near Hilton Coliseum on May 9. The students, staff members, alumni and community members who counterprotested there provided a fine example of how a community can react to undesirable visitors in an appropriate manner. In a way, it seems sad that a peculiar man with a small band of zealots could make an unpleasant noise and summon the attention of this entire community, especially when a significant issue, such as the suicide rate of GLB teens, received little interest here. Sadder still, is the rift that occurred among members of the ad hoc coalition which was formed to deal with Phelps' visit. Though the original coalition included no less than 70 members, differences of opinion all but disintegrated the group until finally there were only five.