Parents Kick Gay Teen Derrick Martin Out Of House

Mar 25, 2010

Parents Kick Gay Teen Derrick Martin Out Of House

Where do parents learn that it is OK to kick their Gay and Lesbian children out of the house? At what point did unconditional love of your child become qualified with “unless they are Gay or Lesbian”. The percent of Gay and Lesbian teens living on the streets is skyrocketing as is the number of teen suicides in our community.

These alarming facts can be traced to one point. Religious bigots who push discrimination and violence against Gays and Lesbians from the christian pulpit. They claim that homosexuality is a lifestyle choice brought on by bad parenting or sexual molestation. This lifestyle should be discouraged and can be changed through prayer and proper therapy.

When the prayer and therapy fail to change the homosexual into a good wholesome straight christian most parents kick the child out of the house.

Homosexuality is a normal, natural and unchangeable sexual orientation and if the christian church would recognize this and promote acceptance over expensive therapies that do not work the world would be a much safer place for Gays and Lesbians.

Gay-rights supporters from across the country are offering to buy everything from boutonnieres to dinner for a Bleckley County High School senior who was granted permission to take his boyfriend to the prom.

At least two supporters have offered to rent a stretch limo for Derrick Martin and his boyfriend.

Martin asked his principal this year if he could take another male to his senior prom, set for April 17.

At first school officials told the 18-year-old that the town of Cochran, with a population of 5,200, wasn’t ready for it.

The high school only had a policy that barred bringing a date older than the age of 21, so school officials subsequently told Martin they granted his request.

Many gay-rights activists are now posting the story on their Facebook pages. And an Atlanta filmmaker said he hopes to document the story.

“I sent flowers to his high school,” said Randi Reitan, a resident of Eden Prairie, Minn., who sent a bouquet of yellow flowers with a rainbow-colored balloon to Bleckley County High on Tuesday to show her support.

“We have a gay son. I wish he could’ve danced with a young man at his prom,” Reitan said.

She also has offered to buy Martin and his date, who is from Tift County, boutonnieres to wear on prom night.

Drew Dowdell from Pittsburgh is setting up a link on his Web site for people to leave donations for Martin to help buy the 18-year-old a limo ride to the prom.

“I want to help Derrick have the best prom he can because I worry that anti-gay people in his school will be doing their best to ruin it for him,” Dowdell said. “I’m proud that he was willing to go to the school to make an issue about it.”

Martin said he got 54 messages Tuesday on Facebook.

“I appreciate it,” he said. “I was speechless that they said they would buy me dinner or buy me a tux in case someone messed mine up.”

But because of the media attention, Martin’s parents have kicked him out and the teen is staying with a friend, he said.

Martin said he pushed to take his boyfriend to the dance after hearing about a girl in Mississippi who asked to take her girlfriend to the prom.

Her school eventually canceled the dance rather than allow them to attend together.

“Maybe (other gay students) will think if Bleckley County will let them, maybe my school will,” Martin said.

School Superintendent Charlotte Pipkin said the move is a first for Bleckley County.

“I’m not aware of it having happened in the past,” she said.

School officials have said they have no plans to cancel or change plans for the prom.

via Gay-rights backers reach out to Bleckley senior – Local & State – Macon.com.