Ever since elementary school, Jaime Whitaker has been the object of bullying.
"I have experienced bullying as long as I can remember," the sophomore design technology major said. "I was an overweight kid in elementary school. When I was starting to get the gay attributes in middle school and throughout high school, I was bullied a lot for that."
Even once he got to college it didn't completely stop. Bullying takes place on campus, and Whitaker said he experienced it himself.
"I was walking down McKinley [Avenue], and a car was driving by and called me ‘faggot,'" he said.
In resolution to the bullying issue, Safe Zone is a training program on campus to educate students and faculty, gay or straight, on problems with which the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer community deals. The training meets in the pine-shelf room in the L.A. Pittenger Student Center today and again on Nov. 16 from 5 to 9 p.m.
Taylor Pallatin, senior nursing major, is the president of Spectrum, the LGBTQ club on campus.
"Safe Zone started in the early ‘90s by the counseling center as a way to train the faculty about problems the LGBTQ community faces," she said. "They learned about issues with the coming out process and how to be an advocate for your students. As it became more popular, it opened up to students."
The Safe Zone is a four-hour training session with multiple interactive activities to become educated in LGBTQ matters. There are activities on stereotypes and how to approach and fix them. Others involve terminologies, bullying, depression and what people who are transgender go through.
Pallatin said the issues discussed change from time to time. Correlating to recent times, Safe Zone also includes present topics.
"Bullying, suicide and depression are some recent topics that we correlate today," Pallatin said. "[Safe Zone] allows you to learn more about current issues and how you can prepare for the future."
Last month, 14-year-old, Jamey Rodemeyer from Buffalo, N.Y., who identified himself as bisexual, committed suicide. He faced severe bullying in school and the Internet.
"It broke my heart when I first heard about Jamey's story. You don't know what life is at 14," Pallatin said.
Even those not involved in Spectrum have seen the effect bullying has on the LGBTQ community.
"I think it's so upsetting that kids like that don't have as many people to talk to," Dru Patrick, senior metalsmith major, said. "There is absolutely nothing wrong with you, and there is always somebody that you can talk and confide in."
Patrick said that bullying is always going to happen, especially with people that were raised in an environment where bullying is tolerated and even encouraged.
"It's not always something you can change in a person. You just have to know in yourself that you're a good person," Patrick said. "I think everyone has a time in their life that they feel like they're a bully. It's times like those where you have to look back on yourself."
Although the bullying can be painful, Whitaker said he has learned to push the comments aside.
"I just don't really pay much attention to it," he said. "I don't give it power. It does hurt, but I don't let it phase me. I know who I am, and as long as I accept myself, I don't really care what other people think about me."
In order to attend Safe Zone training, email safezone@bsu.com with the desired date.
Read More
Three Air Jam teams take home the win
October 12, 2012Nineteen teams shimmied, shook and flipped for a sold out John R. Emens Auditorium on Thursday night during the 25th annual Air Jam.
Bill Clinton Speaks at North Central High School
October 12, 2012Former President's Speech Could Have Effect on State Senate Race
