1. Be OUT – not just at the clubs or in the safe places like at PRIDE but over the fence in your back yard talking to your neighbors, at community meetings, in church, at work. When you here a mis-speak about our community set the record straight. Be OUT about things other than LGBT issues – Don’t let politicians pigeon hole you to only LGBT debates. Yes we want marriage equality but we want good schools, paved streets, jobs, good government the same thing as every citizen.
2. Touch five people – it doesn’t have to be strangers. Go for the low hanging fruit – those friends and family who say they love and support you and ask them to be warriors for YOUR equality. To not laugh when they hear the “gay” joke or sit silently when someone makes a homophobic or ignorant remark about our lives. Ask them to be a “Warrior for Your Equality” and shut the bigotry down.
3. VOTE – Vote at every election. We are not turning out to vote and look at what has happened. Those who want to take away our rights show up at each and every election. Look at North Carolina. We are waiting for the big dance in November and/or every four years while they are showing up each and every time, and are filling up the legislative dance card. If we don’t start coming out to the polls when the big dance gets here only the ugly dancers like Mitt will be left on the dance floor.
4. Be self- sufficient. We have entrepreneurs, artists and money in our community. Support our businesses. Support our organizations. If they don’t want to hire us or are ready to fire us for being gay then it’s time we start taking our time, talent and treasures and investing it in our own.
5. Teach the children! Teach the children! Teach the children! Children aren’t born with hate. Teach the children the value of each and every person. Teach the children the beauty of diversity. When the daughter of a lesbian couple I know started school she talked about her family. A little boy commented that she couldn’t have a family because she needed a father and that two mommies couldn’t make a baby because “you need sperm.” She looked at him and said “you can buy that.” And from that day on the entire schools perspective on family changed. Six years later – a family is a family. Teach the children our lives, our loves, our families are just that our lives, our loves, our families – nothing more nothing less
I have a dream this and every day that we will all one day live in a nation where we will not be judged by what makes us different or who we love but by the content of our character and what ultimately makes us all the same – our humanity.