My last assignment for Photography was really interesting. We were asked to pick a contemporary issue, take a stance on it, and shoots images that showed our thoughts about it. I immediately thought about gay bullying. I don't know why exactly. I really would have thought mostly about gay rights, but for some reason bullying seemed a little more poignant so I decided that it would be that way. My original idea was to have 3 models. One would be a gay guy, one would be a jock, and the last would be a religious person. The jock was going to be covering the mouth of the gay kid while the religious person would be looking away, not really paying attention. It's an alright concept. But I didn't think it would really communicate the issue of gay bullying.
So then I came up with the idea of suicide caused by gay bullying. This was a big ordeal this past October. I remember hearing about young kids who killed themselves all because of horrible comments and misunderstandings from other people. It was a big issue in the Church as well with the talk by Elder Boyd K Packer about identity.
The fact of the matter is, being gay/lesbian is not a reason to end ones life. There is NO reason to end ones life. But those poor kids who did so were simply not understood. So I want to show in my photographs that really these acts were real. They were real people who loved and felt emotions and they were loved by others.
My photos are particularly gruesome, but it is to show how I am extremely against suicide and I feel pain for those who resort to it. This is the image I produced for class.
I don't have any gay readers, at least I don't think I do. I do have a lesbian reader. But the point is, as all of the celebrities say it on YouTube, It Gets Better. Life DOES get better and there is no reason to feel like you need to change. You are lovely sons and daughters of God, who loves you, and I love you.
that actually hits a little close to home for me. I had a friend that recently committed suicide, he was gay and suffered from bipolar and depression most of his life. So just simple remarks that were meant to be funny to some would offend him and it helped me realize that even just joking about something like that can be just as bad as bullying. It's crazy how something like "oh that's so gay" can hurt someone emotionally.
ReplyDeleteSo that picture is well spoken for. I quite like the concept you had for it. Very inspirational indeed.
This is a very powerful picture. It really reached out to me and evoked very deep, poignant emotions. I can almost feel it gripping my heart :(
ReplyDeleteIt is very tragic indeed that some people see suicide as their only way out. My heart aches for these individuals. I wish I could tell each and every one of them to keep going, no matter how tough the going gets.
I hope this photo of yours draws attention to a very REAL and serious issue of today. Stop the bigotry and bullying. Gay and lesbian people are just as human as everyone else.They have thoughts, feelings, and emotions. They love, fear, and live just as much as everyone else.
Thanks for sharing Spencer!
--Jossi
Beautiful photo, Spencer. And I love the message you wrote. I love you, too!
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