“All young people, regardless of their sexual orientation or identity, deserve a reassuring and supportive environment in which they can realize their full potential. » This quote was uttered by Harvey Milk, the first openly gay state official in California history. Harvey Milk made history by overcoming the many obstacles faced by an openly LGBTQ+ person in 1960s America. He and many others dreamed of a world where all humans were equal, a world where the LGBTQ+ community would be free to express themselves, free to be themselves, without prejudice or hatred. In this world, the LGBTQ+ community would finally be free to live as they wish. In this world, people wouldn't care about race, sexual orientation, gender, the only thing that mattered was the content of their mind, the life of their soul. In this world, they would be equal. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay The world they dreamed of wasn't even ideal – it was just a world where people had decency , a world where they could show their a little compassion, a little empathy. Is this difficult to achieve? Why haven't we succeeded? We need to build a world in which children can open up, a world where there is much less bullying. LGBTQ+ youth are four times more likely to attempt suicide than others in their age group. 90% of lesbian, bisexual and gay students have experienced harassment and bullying from their peers. More than half of transgender students have attempted suicide, and about 75 percent report feeling unsafe at school. We've made great strides in LGBTQ+ awareness and rights, but acceptance issues persist. Imagine if our children had to go to school every day in this difficult environment, if they came home from school every day crying because of the bullying, and it didn't stop there. For them to be tortured with cruel words, harsh beatings, just for them to come home and see the cyberbullying start, watch the text messages come. Maybe they even come home to be taunted and tormented by their parents who don't accept them. I constantly have to listen to them say that their identity is not valid, that as a person they are worthless. Why are we so afraid of equality? Are you worried about people feeling safe? What's so bad about people feeling secure in themselves, assured that they're worth something? There is no reason to fear change, to fear people based on who they love, how they love. We may have come a long way, but there is still much to do.