Lack Of Valuable Empathy.

WADDUP EVERYONE!
Yo', the retreat was CRACKIN'! I was glad that I was able to go and be able to bond with my fellow Jufranians. The food was delicious, big ups to the cooks of both days! And big ups to Dennis & co. for allowing us their place for the whole thing. I had a lot of fun going on the hike, all the random questions, games, and the view from the hill (such an amazing site, would be better if it was all sun, but seeing spots of God on the water was cool too!). It was a really great way to end another week for my life because I've been stressing with my life as it is, haha. I hope to do this all again another time, and also to have this much fun when we kick it with the PACE interns.

The one thing that really bugged me (and it REALLY REALLY bugged me) so much that it upset me was a statement that was said in referring to me.. See, I felt a lot of what was said disrespected me, thinking that what was said was merely "a joke". I was in one of the PACE's workshops earlier this week, and this week was LGBTQQI (or Queer) Week. One of the things they were talking about were words and stereotypes that affected people of that community, and I felt that the statement imposed those stereotypes on me (BTW, did I ever come out to everyone? Well I'm doing so now) and it really hit me hard because not only did it hurt me personally, but I've already had that instance happen to me once before in my high school years, where a "friend" had spread a rumor about me to a person I had just met about me being "a touchy-feely" gay man. I was really hurt with that statement, but I wasn't the one to go any lower than that person who said it, so I let it be. And like back then, this time, I let it be, in a way. Though it really did disrespect me a lot, I didn't let it affect me too much that it altered the rest of the retreat.

I really hope that everyone can understand where I stand when it comes to the statement. That's part of what I'm trying to do with my life: to check people when they discriminate against a community that they don't know too much about.

Thanks, and good night.
<3 "KACE up in this PLACE", KC.