A Nation Worth Ranting About by Rick Mercer

Author:Rick Mercer [Mercer, Rick]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-0-385-67681-6
Publisher: Doubleday Canada
Published: 2013-10-07T16:00:00+00:00

After the rant aired, the response was overwhelming. For a brief period, I became the patron saint of gay teenagers with low self-esteem. It’s now on my resumé, along with my ability to type with both hands.

I know that lots of kids get bullied, but hearing from them personally wasn’t something I was expecting or was prepared for. And it wasn’t just gay kids; so many kids are bullied for so many reasons. Some straight kids get bullied for being gay because it turns out that’s a go- to insult used by kids who like to terrorize other kids. I feel particularly bad for these straight kids. They get the lousy parts of being gay, the harassment and the discrimination, without the fabulous stuff, the exotic vacations and free trips, that come later.

And I heard from so many well-adjusted, successful people who wouldn’t go back to high school for one day for all the money in the world. And suddenly, people I knew, people I never would have suspected were victims of bullying, told me their horror stories. I thought we were the generation that talked about everything. Apparently not.

And the mothers. Oh God, how many poor mothers did I hear from. When we get to a point where we no longer need an It Gets Better program for the kids, someone has to create an It Gets Better program for the parents.

The media responded to the rant in many different ways, mostly positive. Everyone, it seems, was moved by Jamie’s death, and everyone wanted kids to go to school in a safe environment. My suggestion, though, that some gay adults should make themselves more visible rattled a few commentators. The Globe and Mail wrote an editorial saying gay adults have no obligation to help gay young people by being visible. They felt this was dangerously close to outing someone against their will. I don’t advocate forcing anyone out of the closet. That said, if a famous hockey player can be guilt-tripped out of the closet because it might help some kid in Moncton, then so be it.

In the gay media, the rant was covered, but instead of the message being discussed, it was the messenger. That would be me. I wasn’t surprised by this, as the issue of gay kids being bullied had already been covered extensively in the gay media, so the rant was hardly an eye-opener in that community. At least one gay publication ran a piece saying that I was the one not “out enough” and was the last guy who should be telling other gay people to be visible. They might have a point, although the irony is I’ve been on the cover of the same magazine that suggested it.

I do understand the frustration. There are many gay adults who are much more visible than me. There are activists who have dedicated their life to equality rights for the GLBT community. If it weren’t for their work, I wouldn’t enjoy the privileges and rights that I do now.

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