To those who still have yet to understand,

When you're walking around in public and you decide to explain how "gay" you think something is, are you paying attention to who's around you? The person standing next to you in line, or maybe a passerby who is sitting near you in the same restaurant that can hear your conversation? When you are having a conversation and suddenly feel the need to shout out loud about how "gay," "lame," or "retarded" something or someone seems, do you ever take the time to understand that the person next to you, or even someone with you, is hurt by this? If you took a minute to think about who was around you or your audience, would you have changed your mind? Now, before you go running for the hills because you believe this is a letter about political correctness, just keep reading until the end.

I am not writing this letter to bash you about word choice or explain the importance of maintaining a sense of PC. I am writing this because I was that bystander. I was the person behind the counter while you continued to explain again and again how "gay" that hat was that someone you knew wanted. I was there when you talked about how "lame and stupid" it was to watch those certain shows on television, even if you didn't realize I tuned into them weekly. It was me who was standing behind you in line when you decided to say that a person "just wants attention" for being depressed. I was no more important to you than any other passerby or bystander, but I heard every word. You never knew me, and if we talked it would have been for no more than a brief period in time, but I heard it all. The things that you will say, even if the intention wasn't malice, hurt. Though you were saying those things to repeatedly prove your point, there was someone around you who heard those words, and it affected them.

Now, I can understand where you are going to come from by saying that these people have no right to impede on your conversations or tell you how you should voice your opinions. While the First Amendment is the cause for so much controversy in society today, it is not my place to tell you how to implement any of your freedoms to feel and speak on it. But, as it is your freedom to speak how you want about what you want, it is also my freedom to tell you how much it hurts. It hurts to be the kid sitting at lunch while the other kids talk about how "retarded" something that brings them pure joy is. It hurts to know that you may know nothing about how I identify or who I choose to love, but still feel confident in telling me how "gay" you feel something is. While those instances and so many others have had an effect on not only me, but so many others as well, what hurts the most about this whole thing is that saying these things is just too easy. It is as though you take a word, completely normalize it, and use it day in and day out, as if you are just saying "apple" or "banana." You continue to put out these labels to push your point across with that sense of normalcy we have all learned to live with. But let's get on a real level and remember that slapping a label on something doesn't always give it a justification or push the point further. For centuries this has been proven true, but you just laugh and act like words are without effects or consequences. In the back of your mind, though, you know this to be true. You know that someone is sitting there listening, yet the act is continued because continuing the action is much easier that standing up against it. In all actuality, I can honestly say that I agree with you. It is easier to fall in line instead of standing up against it, but if the easier were the better, where would we all be today?

Before I end this, I need to take this moment to actually thank you. I want to thank you because, without you, I wouldn't work so hard to live outside of these labels. I wouldn't strive to be better day after day and continue to stand up for these ideals that stabilize the normalcy of this major issue. Thank you for being the driving force that will always remind me why I stand up and fight for what I believe is right and true. This letter was never meant to bash you or make you feel small. It was about simply reminding you that, even though what you say, and will probably continue to say, isn't meant to hurt those around you, the inevitable truth is that it does, and it always will.

Yours Truly,

The Inevitable Bystander