Recently all of us at The kNOw took the time to discuss the death of Eric Borges and the issues he faced that might have led him to take his life when he was only 19.
Borges, whose funeral was held this week, was a member of the LGBTQ (Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Questioning) community and consequently was bullied quite often for it. Later in life he worked to help people that might have to endure the hardships he had to face by doing things like becoming a member of the Trevor Project and making a video that encouraged others to be who they are and value themselves. Many people have found the inspiration they needed to be confident in who they are because of his “It Gets Better” video.
The fact is that his life of hardship and intolerance by others is something that many others have had to face. The persecution of individuals who don’t exactly fit the societal norm for sexual orientation is a far too common sight in our society. They are persecuted, quite possibly, throughout their lives.
We here at The kNOw feel that everyone has the right to live and be who they are. We also feel that sometimes not enough is done to prevent the bullying of these types of individuals. There are many who encounter this everyday and others who never see it, but regardless if whether or not you have been a witness of such an incident you should see that the persecution of any individual because of intolerance and lack of understanding is wrong. We believe that is the responsibility of everyone to help end this type of behavior.
Some people are willing to help but don’t because they don’t know how or they don’t see it as a big problem because they have never seen or experienced it. All we can say is get informed on how bullying is a serious issue.
[box_light]Want to help, or get help? Here are some resources:bornthiswayfoundation.org
itgetsbetter.org
thetrevorproject.org[/box_light]
In 2006, over 25 youth began participating in weekly after-school writing workshops where they congregated in the hallway of a two-story building in West Fresno and learned the essentials of creating media and telling their stories. The group evolved over the next five years and is now proudly recognized as The kNOw Youth Media.
Through our program, we create opportunities for our youth participants, who in turn create long-term positive change in their communities. Our approach weaves youth development and youth media innovation to produce our biannual youth publication, multimedia projects, and community forums.
The kNOw began as a project of New America Media, which was the country’s first and largest national collaboration and advocate of 2000 ethnic news organizations. In 2018 The kNOw became a project of Youth Leadership Institute.
