He was constantly subjected to verbal abuse simply because he was different. Names like freak, dork, nerd, homo, dyke, and queer should be dropped from our daily vocabulary. My wife and I are president and board member of Parents, Family and Friends of Lesbians and Gays. We know how it hurts to hear our friends and family members called hurtful names and subjected to ridicule. We too have the urge to strike back.
Hateful words lead to crimes of violence such as murders and suicides.
Suicide is the second leading cause of death among young people ages 14 to 24. Experts estimate that at least 30 percent of the young people in this age bracket who commit suicide were victims of severe verbal abuse. It s not hard to figure out which words we all should drop from our vocabulary. If you would not want a word to be used on you, don t you use it on someone else. Maybe you are kidding and maybe you are not, but you could be deeply hurting someone you care about, such as a co-worker, a neighbor, or a sensitive young student who feels he has no one to turn to for help.