Скачать или смотреть hello & hugs! GLSEN Ambassador Gabe Maffuz

Hi there!! My name is Gabe Maffuz & I'm a 15 yr old student at the High School for the Performing & Visual Arts in Houston, Texas. Many of the reasons I am interested in advocating for safe schools is because of my own positive & negative experiences as a gay teen. I was born in puerto Rico but raised in houston by my mom & dad who divorced when I was 8 after my dad came out of the closet. 4 years later, by the end of 6th grade I realized I was gay & came out to my two best girlfriends & eventually myspace. My mother soon found out about me & immediately enrolled me in a Baptist private school, put me through reparative ex-gay therapy, along with sermon after sermon telling me I was a hellbound perverse sinner. My dad, being gay, on the other hand, was completely supportive & offered hope & a haven from 3 years of the homophobia of my devout mother, abuse of my stepfather & hellish Christian school from which I was later forced to be removed by the administration purely on the basis of my sexual orientation. I knew the only option was to move with my dad & his partner so I took it to court with him & after a crazy custody battle, a judge ruled I was to live with him. Part of living with my dad involves the exclusive privilege of attending the High School for the Performing & Visual Arts where LGBT students are the pride & joy of the entire population. My school is no place for bullying, hatred, discrimination or any sort of harassment most of which unique teens experience daily. To have come from a prejudiced school with plenty of hateful & harmful students at every turn, it makes me appreciate that I can learn and practice my musical talents at a place where EVERYONE is ACCEPTED, LOVED, and APPRECIATED for who they are, regardless of race, religion, creed, and especially sexual orientation. Because of my school I know there is hope & a way to change things in all schools nationwide & across the globe. My experience shows me there is a possibility for schools everywhere to become indiscriminatory, nonviolent, accepting, integrated, hatred-less, harassment-less and peaceful learning environments to LGBT students instead of a war-zone. For that reason, I know it is time to make a change, educate and take a stand for creating safe schools for all. I have the power to start a revolution & build a sparklier tomorrow.