If the “right” side of politics won’t listen to we the gays about Safe Schools and how awesome it might have been to have something like that when we were there, maybe they’ll listen to the mother of a gay who’s not here now to speak for himself:
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My name is Sheryl Moore, and I’m the mother of A.J. Betts. A.J. made a statement that was very poignant.
He said, “Mom, I just can’t go to this school anymore where people are hurting my feelings and making me cry every day because I’m gay.” And I said, “A.J., do you want me to pull you out of that school? Because I’ll do it in a heartbeat. I’ll send you to another school where you feel more comfortable.”
And he said “No, Mom. I’m pretty sure it’s not okay to be gay anywhere.”
And I said, “You know what, buddy? I don’t disagree with you.”
And he said, “I’m just gonna do my time and be done with my senior year and graduate and go on to college where people are more accepting.” And I said, “I think that’s a great idea, A.J.”
And those were the last words my son said to me before he took his life.
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Taken from the eighth episode of “American Crime” season two where she appeared in a piece to camera.