It was a first date. She had been invited out on a date by a man who she had been flirting with for three or four months hoping to gain his attention. Then one day he asked her out on a date. Somewhere romantic.
With one final check on how she looked in the mirror as the sound of his knuckles rapped on the front, she answered her door, accepted his flowers which she quickly put in a vase and left with him. Her heart was pounding as the man of her desires was taking her out somewhere romantic. He never said where they are going. Only that it was going to be a surprise.
She never made it for dinner.
One quick stop along the way where three other men got in the car with her made to sit in the backseat between two men who started to violate her as the car sped off somewhere. She did not know where she was going as her head was covered as hands forced themselves under her dress groping her.
Her head was uncovered somewhere. it was nowhere to her. She didn’t know where she was but she knew nobody would intrude on what was about to happen to her. Being spat on, punched, kicked, verbally abused, anally raped as they called her names like faggot, that this is what poofters deserve. Then when they were finished with her, they drove and dumped her covered in bruises, cuts and semen. She never reported it to the Police because then the Police would have charged her for her sexuality. Possibly further raped her.
What I wrote above is an air brushed recollection of what a transgender friend shared with her on a real life experience of hers. She shared her story with me on a bloodied violence assault on her for being transgender. I in turn shared with her a story of a bloodied violent assault against myself for being a gay woman.
So why do I bring this up?
The internet can do something to people where they release every vile element of their personality on the belief that it does not matter when it’s online as it’s not real. That nobody was hurt as it was all cyber. Pretend. More importantly, they’re cowards who hide behind a computer in the safety of their own homes.
I have been with Second Life for a little over three and a half years. In this time I have got to know many people who are both open and private about their transgender identity. Every single one of them are of character. Some of them remain quiet on their experiences while some are open. Some have never experienced any hate in Second Life for being who they are while others have.
I raise this here and now because I am sick to death of my friends being under constant attack for being who they are. Some I have said good bye to as the bullying against them drove them away from Second Life. The most recent friend who quit Second Life said that she had never experienced the level of hate against her in her real life compared to what she was experiencing in Second Life. It had become too much for her to cope with so she left.
There won’t be any blaming all this on Donald Trump from me because this hate has spread globally under the wisdom of religion. Has this seen an increase of such hatred in Second Life? I do not know. Donald Trump hasn’t helped at all with his consistent attacks on LGBTQI communities. Transgender people especially are under primary assault in the USA as racial and religious fascists march the streets offering Nazi worship for President Tiny Hands.
These bullies are people who only know how to persecute. They need people to experience suffering in a need to feed their empty vessels only to demand that they are the victims, not the people they’re hurting but them.
Society needs to embrace each other to face these bad people down. No amount of hugs will see them change their minds for after they have dealt with one group, they will turn on another and then another and then another until they are killing their own.
Some people do deserve to be left behind. They are those who segregate and persecute. I am tired of seeing people leave Second Life because some moral heterosexual people believe that they have the right to intimidate people into depression and possibly suicide.
I have been under fists and boots of hate. Many times I felt that long kitchen blade pressed against my skin waiting to push through to end the pain inflicted upon me. Just as many others have due to these assholes who exist only hurt others.
No more. Seriously, stop it.
Grow the fuck up.
Allow Second Life to be what it was meant to be. If you are unable to do this, then seek professional help for your mental health status because you need it.
Sheree Honeyflower
Am sad to have read about this in SL as I do know several Transgender and not once has anything been brought up regarding bullying as it specifically states on their profile as well ~ along with the multitude of gay friends that I as well have only expressed nothing but good vibes from the SL community ~ nice post and bringing bullying no matter in what form or where is so wrong…
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I must say that being a transgender in Second Life for well over 7 years, never felt any discrimination from the Male avatar side but much more from the Women one (meaning i never was bullied by any alpha male avatar but was questioned and discriminated by Women avatars, mostly at beginning). Still that ended well over 5 Years ago and since then i don’t have any issues to report (and be sure i reported them to LL several times).
So i do believe that SL is still the land of the freedom, despite asshole trump, mainly cause SL community is much less from Usa and much more from Europe, where discrimination is not so bluntly supported by a government.
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I would agree that it’s mostly ok. This person left the other other week. She was being bullied by both male and female.
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I couldn’t help crying at the RL story because I have a post-operative friend that happened to. There weren’t other men involved but her “date” beat her so bad that she was a bloody mess and bruised for weeks. No, she didn’t report it either for the same reason. Another result was she lost her job. ☹
I’m one of the secret ones. I think you could say this is my general coming out letter. I transitioned in 1995 the full thing- operation included. Back then if you valued your life you talked about transitioning as little as possible.
So, when I joined SL ten years later I didn’t talk about my gender history out of habit. A few who know me in both worlds know and I think a few others have figured it out since I know too much about gender issues.
I did tell my future SL husband. His reaction was, “Why did you bother to tell me I want you to be my wife and I love you.” All I could do was hug him. We celebrated our third anniversary in July so I think it’s safe to say things have worked out.
After the sad story that started this post I think a little happy story is called for.
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Thank you sharing your story, Willow. I’m happy for you that it worked out for you and that you have a caring, loving husband. ♥
What happened to LGBTQI’s such as your friend happened more often than society likes to accept and it’s distressing to see this behaviour encouraged by those elements after all these years. I hope your friend is okay after all this time. ♥
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Yes, my friend is alright today and has moved on. And as it happens moved on very successfully but it took a while.
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I’m happy for her. It took me a long time to progress past the trauma of my experience as a teenager so yes, I understand.
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I have been all over Second Life and never once witnessed what you are talking about.
I will say, however, that I have had people call me out and bully me for being very straight. Christian and conservative.
I think maybe SL just brings out the bully in very small minds belonging to very small people. I am sad that anyone bullies anyone. But, I will say that I’ve never seen anyone bullied for being gay, atheistic or transgender in SL. So, what you have written here extremely confuses me.
I have indeed seen more of a Rainbow Mafia mindset in the circles that I go in with respect to poetry. Anyhow, I’m sorry that you’re bullied if you really are. I’m sad that any of us are bullied for just living our lives. Best wishes to you and hope you find the happiness that we all want.
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Hi. I was talking about a friend who was driven away from bullying, not myself. Also, this term “rainbow mafia” is highly offensive and would suggest that you are not being bullied for being Christian but because your language attracted criticism.
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hahha that’s too funny that phrase came from the mouth and keyboard of one of the gayest men in SL fashion. See the thing about your take on tolerance is that you have none.
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Tell me, why did you even bother to write on my blog? Maybe one day you will read over your initial comment and understand why I replied to you as I did.
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here’s the reality. you don’t like me using a phrase widely used on SL. Sorry that you’re offended by your own vocabulary….
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Oh, bullshit. If you heard that among any lgbtqi circle, it’s intention is not the same as your intention. Take your fake nonsense elsewhere.
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And now you further demonstrate your true sense of “tolerance” by pretending to be able to read someone’s thoughts after insulting them. See, now if you were a decent human being you’d apologize for carrying on like this. I’m very likely one of the, if not the, most honest people you’ve ever met. But, you have nothing but hostility. It’s amazing really.
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I’m not going to waste my time arguing with you. What I will do is bring you back to point where you felt the need to assert that you’re a very straight, conservative Christian whose never seen this bullying.
Do you understand how that sounds?
You aren’t going to see it because it’s not aimed you. Your need to assert that you’re “very straight” and a “conservative Christian” along with your need to keep firing has only shown why this article was needed. Don’t play victim here. You aren’t a victim in this at all. Nobody cares what your religion is. It’s not important to anyone but you. It’s best left in the home.
I do suggest that my blog really isn’t the world for you.
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I wonder if you realize how many people are laughing at the way you’re acting. Peace out lol
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Here’s the reality of Second Life. The gays, lesbians and transgenders control quite a bit. What I said is the truth. Christian conservatives are who is attacked in SL and by the folks you’re advocating for. That’s not a secret. I used myself as an example. I don’t much care to hear or read such lies that you’re under attack. You’re not. And another thing, it is impossible for your “friend” to have dragged anywhere without allowing it to happen. Were you actually being victimized, I’d be all over it and on your side. I’ll repeat again, I don’t like bullies – at all. But I won’t stand for lies when I have the opportunity to comment.
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The problem is not your Christianity. The problem is the gross overlooking of Mattheus 22:36-40 that comes with the ‘conservative’ part. Nobody votes against your rights to practice your religion. You cry ”bully” when facing criticism about your choices in how to try and influence other peoples lives. Yet your ‘conservatism’ makes it alright to vote against our right to be who we are? You see, tolerance comes with a Dogma. Tolerance needs the tolerating of all, but the intolerant. Not tolerating intolerance, doesn’t make you intolerant. It makes you aware of the difference between being a good christian and being a hypocrite.
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