By Brenda Rumiser

“Fag, queer, homo, dike…” - we’ve all heard the words; whether it be at school, home or in public. Whether or not a person is joking when they say this, this is a form of discrimination.

Most teenagers are one-sided when it comes to gays; they think it’s wrong and often ridicule them for their sexual orientation. But gay or straight, people are people. The only difference between homosexual and heterosexual is the gender of their partner. When I walk down the halls at school, I often hear friends joking, “You’re such a fag,” and it breaks my heart to hear.

My best friend is lesbian and not once have I held that fact against her purely out of respect and my love for her as a person. Her sexual preference doesn’t make a difference to our friendship. I don’t necessarily agree with her sexual preference, but there is no way I can or want to try to make her change.

The Bible says in Leviticus 18:22, “Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as womankind: it is an abomination,” but nowhere in the Bible does it state that anyone has the right or privilege to harass or discriminate against homosexuals either.