by Gina Scarpa

 

It's more than unfortunate that it took the recent deaths of several young students to draw attention to a national problem: bullying LGBT youth in schools. The suicides of Tyler Clementi, Seth Walsh, Asher Brown, and others have struck such a chord in our society that people blogged, Tweeted, and posted Facebook statuses and YouTube videos expressing their shock and sadness, from college students to celebrities. We here at RealityWanted reached out to our community of reality stars to ask them to send in their words of hope and positivity as well as videos sharing their stories. Read on for inspiring messages and videos from the stars of Project

Runway, Survivor, The Amazing Race, Make Me A Supermodel, Road Rules, and The Real World.

 

Ronnie Kroell, Make Me A Supermodel
From Ronnie: "When others say hurtful and demeaning things, consider the source and find your strength in truth and love". From Taylor: "I've been there, and I've felt that same pain. And even though it feels like you are the only person feeling that pain, know that you are not alone. One day you will look back and realize it made you a strong person- thousands of times stronger than the people who made you feel that way."

 

Malan Breton, Project Runway
"I know there are a lot of mixed messages in the media. What you should say, eat, look like, how you should act, sleep, and with the invention of reality TV, bullying for personal gain has become acceptable! It all becomes a jumble of confusion. I was bullied as a boy by everyone including the people I was supposed to trust the most. It starts in the home. If we teach acceptance to our children, they will love. If we teach ignorance, they become confused and sadly, in fear, lash out to protect what they have been taught. This is applicable on so many levels, gender, race, religion, etc. I have become a mentor to many as I spoke freely of my experiences on Project Runway. Do not forget your dreams and who you are, the world is full of possibility!"

 

Coby Archa, Survivor: Palau
"It has been 5 years since I was on Survivor but through DVD sales I still get fanmail to this day from young gay youth. I am lucky enough to still be touched by it too. My storyline of never fitting in and never being part of a team rang true to a lot of people 5 years ago and sadly still does today. My first step to stop bullying is through my daughter. She, through the eyes of society, hasn't like the fact that I am gay. So from a very young age I have sat her down and tried to teach her tolerance for me and for others. We went to a peace rally together as father and daughter a few months ago. We colored signs together as we talked and she wanted hers to read ‘Love not Hate'. I know for some they may think 5 is too young to expose to such serious subjects but to me that is the first step in stopping this from happening to the next generation. Just talking about it."

 

 

 

Mike Manning, The Real World: DC
"You are the author of this book you call life. You can't just pass the pen to someone else and have them write it. There is no manual. There is no blueprint. You are the only ‘you' that exists. So take who you are and the person you were born to be, and make your mark on this world. Don't apologize, just act!"

 

Baya Voce, The Real World: Brooklyn
"Although I'm not a part of the LGBT community, I have plenty of friends and family who are and harassment is an issue that truly affects me because I can't imagine a friend going through being bullied just because they are gay. The most important piece of advice I can give is to know that you aren't alone in what you are going through. There are support groups and people who have been where you are who can offer advice."

 

Mark Long, Road Rules
"In response to the recent suicides due to bullying... I was raised that everyone is special, everyone is equal, and to never judge anyone on their beliefs, sexuality, race, religion, or otherwise. Bullying people, kicking people when their down, turning a blind eye, and making fun of someone who isn't exactly like you, is NEVER cool and we should all make an effort to reach out to individuals that might be going through situations like this and let them know we have their backs and there is always a solution and an answer... one love!"

 

Preston Charles, The Real World: New Orleans
"For me, bullying was more than a news story; it was a reality. Growing up, all I wanted was for the feelings I had for other men to go away. Every day, the walk down the halls was a constant battle, and sentences like, ‘You're a homo', ‘You're a faggot', and ‘You're gay' provided the soundtrack. All I wanted was to go home and crawl under my bed, which I did quite often. I even thought of the way in which I would carry out my suicide, a thought that makes me cringe today. What kept me from executing my thoughts was the belief that somehow, somewhere it was going to be better. This may sound cliché, yet this idea saved me from one of the worst mistakes I thankfully never made. Please do not let the ignorance of others turn you into another statistic. You're more than a news story or number on a spread sheet; you're a real person. More importantly, you were born this way. If you have these thoughts, these issues, there are people who care and will listen."

 

Scott Herman, The Real World: Brooklyn
"It's time to get REAL. My whole life I have been disgusted by such phrases as ‘Turn the other cheek' or ‘Oh, just ignore them and they will go away'... because what happens when people who CAN do something and stick up for what's right DON'T? The predators find WEAKER prey and those being preyed on either live a life of low self-esteem or kill themselves. Too long have people looked the other way at the sight of injustice and now the playing field is overloaded with people with evil in their hearts. I was brought up to do the right thing no matter how hard or what the consequences are. In my heart, I know things might get crazy and at times may even have to endanger myself to protect someone else. But at the end of the day, what hurts more... knowing you did nothing... or taking a bit of abuse because you did the right thing. You decide."

Chet Cannon, The Real World: Brooklyn
"Life....It gets better. I promise. Unfortunately, some people are only able to find some fabricated solace, by means of putting others down. Fortunately, however, is the fact that most people grow out of this immature state. In general, people are afraid of what's "different," however, simply looking around and understanding the genetic composition of people, everyone is different. Therefore, we are all in the same boat, but that is the beauty of life. I find the people I am most attracted to, seem to be the most peculiar. Stay strong in the knowledge that happiness is attainable."

 

Jessica "Sugar" Kiper, Survivor: Gabon
"I believe that people can live in Hell on Earth just by being negative. No matter how poor, sad, lonely, or hungry you get, if you stay positive, you can get through it. You'll be in better shape than people that let things disturb them and create more bad energy for themselves. Peace and LOVE!"

 

Sam McMillen, The Amazing Race 15
"It is times like these when I think of my favorite quote, said by Victor Frankl, ‘The last of the human freedoms under any given circumstances is to choose one's attitude'. No matter what your peers say to you, no matter how they treat you, that is the one thing they can't take away from you. Choose an attitude of resilience, choose an attitude of hope, choose and attitude of love for yourself, and choose an attitude to be happy in your own skin. No one can take that away from you, as hard as they may try. We need you here with us. We need you to join hands with us in celebration, to fight for our rights, and to show everyone that we won't put up with hate any more. Your generation has so much to live for, so much to see and so much to fight for. I PROMISE you, it gets better. YOU could be the next winner of Survivor. YOU could be the next American Idol. YOU could be the next guy screaming at your brother while unrolling hay bales in Sweden. YOU can be anything you want, as long as you give yourself the chance. I know things are tough, trust me, I've been there, but NOTHING feels better than getting out of a rough situation knowing that you've grown from it, and that those who thought they were tearing you down only made you stronger. For all of the parents out there, listen to your children, be proactive and ALWAYS remember this one idea: the last thing your kids need is another enemy. Be open, love unconditionally and know that no matter who your child is, they will belong and be loved in some way. Reality TV has a funny way of finding us nerds, dorks, gays, airheads, etc. (trust me, I'm all of the above), and turning us into heroes. So give yourself the chance to become the hero you were made to be. Love yourself, and hold out for just a little bit longer, because we need you."

 

If you or someone you know is in need of help, or to find out how you can make a difference, visit The Trevor Project.