Dear diary i don’t know what to say but i want to say something. I’ve written alot of pieces surrounding people’s perceptions and their true life experiences but i haven’t written something that is close to heart, something that is dear to me. Well here am i trying to make a simple statement that could be relatable to any person who went/is going under the scrutiny of violence or hateful speech. I was 7 years old when i noticed i was “DIFFERENT”, not just different but weirdly different from my peers. I’d like to believe i was born an extrovert but something in my child years turned me into an introvert. I used to over analyse why boys my age would like to play cars in the dirt and i would rather stay in my corner and prevent from getting dirty. I’ve always been self-conscious about my looks and what i specifically wear, not so normal to your average 7 year old boy. Growing up was a challenge, expected to co-exist in a space where every child is “Normal” and you are “Abnormal”. Notice the inverted commas? Yes that’s to trigger the not so normal social terms in your brain we tag on each and everything or situation that is abnormal not to our liking. We as a community we break spirits then build them. How possible is it that a child who is clueless to the world’s terms and norms be called demonic or satanic? I’ve noticed at an early age that i was born “DIFFERENT”, i noticed that i would stand out from lames that always made it a fuss that i was “DIFFERENT”. Yes definitely my mother’s chromosomes overtook and dominated, hence we are here today discussing the importance of “Safe Guarding” children who are clueless about what’s happening with their bodies, about their mindset and their surroundings. I was once that kid who was 7 years and clueless about why people threw slurs at me, why was it so difficult for me to find soccer so interesting but all i wanted was to be ahead of my class. I was once a 7 year old gay boy who wanted nothing but love, nothing but to be understood, Maybe just maybe the world would be a better place. Written By : Ofentse Sean Lewis
