Kimo's Essay #10

“No matter how you slice the pie, you still get pie.” This quote, spoken to me by my Uncle Michael about an informal occasion involving a squabble about the differences between two pieces of home baked apple pie, speak words not only for culinary direction, but for also a defense against the mistreatment of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) in the world. It seems so unfair the way that most our brought and beaten up, without a praise, without a thought, without a chance. With the thoughts of the very nature of a life like that, a woman came to our school that explained the pain and changed our lives.


TS Stump Olsen, a woman who endured the hardships that are inexplicitly demanded by society, showed us what strength, what determination, and what a little laughter can do to heal a damaged soul. SD1 LGBT issues are often very awkward to talk about and deal with, and these were our topics of the workshop. CM “’That’s Gay.’ Does anyone truly think about what that means?” asks Ms. Olsen. CM Because so many people are afraid of the issues surrounding different people, they instead choose to direct violence at it, to try to wound them so that they will simply be gone. SD2 Ms. Olsen had to go through countless abuses as a child, and even though of the strong woman she is today, the irrational prejudice around her has hurt her as they hurt many, in more ways than one. CM There are many hurtful things to say to people, take the phrase ‘That’s Gay’ for example. CM For some, it's such a reflexive term, they don’t even think about its true meaning. CM Stump teaches us to “Name It, Claim It, and Stop it.” CM She tells us that the best way to stop homophobia and sexism is to be the friend to remind the world that those words are wrong. SD3 Being the sheltered class that we are, growing in such a small community, it’s sometimes hard to face these sorts of issues; on the other hand, I believe we are also very mature, and when faced with these problems we know how to asses them right. CM I personally know others who’ve struggled with these problems, and I’ve always tried the best I could to help them. CM I think that when we saw Ms. Olsen we looked past the image of an openly gay woman, and jumped straight to the conclusion, “This woman looks like she’s got one heck of a talk for us!” CS Life is complicated, and it takes people like Stump Olsen to sort out the weight of your world and lay it out in front of you saying, ‘This is the weight you bear. So why not drop a load?’


TS Human emotion cannot be controlled, but it is not something to be locked away and left undisclosed. SD1 Emotions are what define us, and if someone’s emotions are a different sexuality than us, then who are we to tell them whom they have to like. CM The difference between us is as simple as the clothes we wear. CM King Richard from William Shakespeare’s play of the same name got it right when he said “I live with bread like you, feel want, Taste grief, need friends,” he tells us that behind everything we are all human. SD2 Heterosexism is also a choice; it is the choice that the only right sexuality is heterosexuality. CM Choices are just as important as emotion in defining who we are; we can just as easily choose the wrong choice as the right one. CM Though no one will ever 100 percent agree on anything, the fact remains that when the choice you choose is heterosexism, you are limiting yourself to a life of irrational hatred and unhappiness to both yourself and everyone around you. SD3 I personally have no problem with homosexual people. CM As I’ve said, I’ve known a couple of people who identify as gay and each one of them is as unique and entertaining as any dear friend. CM Though they may not be as open about it as some, the gay community is all around us, flourishing in the arts, in science, in politics, we even have homosexual celebrities. I believe that one day they will be accepted the way they should be, and that heterosexism can be abolished; we’ve made so many social accomplishments in the just the past year, an African American president, the legalization of gay marriage in CT, and now it is time to propel the United States into one where every relationship will be equal, and where people will be truly seen as that, people.


I’m sure that at least one time each of us in our class has said something that would be incredulously hurtful to an LGBT person. This is a joke that is never funny; more than 30% of all LGBT youth attempt suicide. For me especially, I know I’ve said mean things, terrible things that at the time just seemed like clear innocent jokes, my heart aching at the thoughts of those words which spout from my lips. I know forever that I will hold these mistakes in mind whenever I hear the true weapon of words directed at somebody. Ms. Olsen, a woman who’s lost her family, whose high school was about nothing but survival, who now today fights today for others like her to make their stories a little bit better is truly an inspiration to us all. Stump Olsen is a true hero, one of honesty, of integrity, and of laughter, and her story and teachings are of those I will never forget.




BOLD: Participle Phrase
Italics: Absolute Phrase








1. 11/20/08 Essay #10
2. I am trying to stay on topic, remove unnecessary words, and follow the special tools correctly.
3. I think that my first body paragraph flowed very nicely. I also think that it really encapsulated the themes of Ms. Olsen’s talk. I also like my opening paragraph.
4. I believe that my second body paragraph was kind of sloppy in a sense; I don’t think that I stayed under one umbrella for that paragraph. Also, I may not have used my absolute right.
5. C