Dear Vandals...

[WildKat]

I saw your artwork this morning on the outside of my daughter's elementary school. I'm wondering what your intentions behind it were.

In the minutes before it was painted over, I noticed some cartoonish something hairy - I must be getting old - I couldn't tell if it was a pair of balls or someone's vajayjay there - right on the corner, where we stop to drop off our 5-year-olds.

I wish I knew who you were - I'd love to ask you - why did you do it? I know you're not on cafemom - but since I don't know where else to write this.... here it is.

I can't determine if this was a hate crime from the "Lesbians were here" comment you wrote. Of course it's a crime to deface public property but I was more concerned about what this may have done to the children that saw it. Not that there is anything wrong with body parts - we all have them, we know what they look like; even my kids know what penises and vaginas are so I am not afraid of the questions.

What I am afraid of - and this is explains why your intentions matter to me on this -is what you were trying to say? Of COURSE lesbians were there. Gay and lesbian people have been all over God's green earth from the dawn of time, and will always continue to be. I'm sure there are gay teachers, gay administrators, gay staff, and that gay people have matriculated through that school since the day it was open. Were you singling someone out and exposing them against their wishes? Are you telling the world that YOU are gay in the only way that you can? Maybe someone is forcing you to do something and taking pictures and you dont' know who to tell? If you are a student at that school then you certainly are young.

I wish I knew what the answer was. If you are gay - that's fine - go be gay and be an example to the children on how to love without bigotry. If you are singling someone out - they must feel so humiliated and their privacy has been violated... Please apologise to them - and be an example to the children on how to live without bigotry, how to respect privacy, how not to deface public property. If you are in a situation - any situation - that you are uncomfortable with - tell someone. A teacher, a police officer, a school counselor, a parent, a neighbor, anyone that hasn't hurt you, that you trust.

My biggest concern is for all of the kids in that school that saw your message and are afraid of the stigmas attached to being themselves if they are gay or bi or curious. Some percentage of EVERY population is or will turn out to be gay at some point. And even those elementary aged kids will REMEMBER this, and be affected by it.

Please please please can we just celebrate and accept diversity - and not try to make eachother outcasts? And can you help by spreading the word that diversity is great? Our town may not be all that diverse - but the world is a big place and I hope you find comfort in this world - and I hope our town will welcome more diversity with every day. The world would be a bleaker place without gay men and women and it would also be a lot bleaker if we couldn't all be true to ourselves.

Peace,

Kat

PS If you DO insist on defacing our town - can you maybe make it a rainbow or something??? Or a mural depicting all walks of life? You know - something other than genitalia at an elementary school...

[LuluPepperpot]

Nov. 29, 2007 at 9:56 PM Wow! Sorry the kids had to see that! I sometimes wonder what is going through one's mind when they're doing something like that.

[WildKat]

Dec. 1, 2007 at 9:18 PM It turns out it was aimed at a teacher, which is even worse.  Talk about biting the hand that feeds you.  Those kids should be ashamed of themselves.  It also makes me wonder where they learned that type of intolerance.  Most kids aren't bigots unless their parents are, KWIM?  The thing that also bugged me about this whole episode is that it was basically cleaned up and not really discussed at all.  If we were still where we used to live, the whole school would have had an assembly on diversity and acceptance and I would have preferred it that way.  There would have been a media frenzy and all.  Not here...  this is unfortunately still a republican state.

(Original Poster)

[RedheadMom02]

Jan. 1, 2008 at 12:04 PM I am saddened that your children had to see that .......& pi**ed that it was swept under the rug ! I remember when they would have assemblies when I went 2 school also.....used to be you got in trouble for bringing gum or a frog to class with you & now they do body searches before you can even go see your kid or vise versa ! Even in elementary they scan the kids...talk about stigmatizing kids ! When will this end ?