A Time TO Change
Imagine waking up in the morning and starting your day you know the usual. Brush your teeth, make breakfast, take a shower and head out into the day. On your way to work you see a young man getting bullied and hit by a group of people. He is clearly outnumbered so you step in and help him out before anything could escalate. You see how easy it was to step in because you knew something that was going on was wrong? Why don’t people do the same for people who are different from them?
The LGBTQ community have put through hell. They have come a long way from days when people would kill them on the streets if they even suspected that they may have been of this group. Countless protests,riots, and debates and for a long time they received nothing from the law or just human beings in general. . Even just recently in 2016 have you all forgotten about the mass shooting at a Gay dance club. On June 12, 2016 one assailant killed 49 people and injured another 50. This was reportedly the worst hate crime in history.
Evidently I want people to see what has been done against the LGBTQ community just to stop them from being themselves and living freely. I want to enact change in society and change their perspective of what is to be accepted in the world. Life itself is not up to just one set of people; everyone defines their lives the way they see fit! It is not up to one or another to decide the everyday normal for people.
It was not until 1924 that Henery Gerber documented “The Society for Human Rights” which was the first gay rights group! This is exactly what I want to advocate for. I believe that there should be a safe place for the LGBTQ community to live freely. I want their ideas to be accepted. I want their dreams to have the right to come true. Although the Society For Human Rights was a great way to start off the journey of the LGBTQ community why was this the first thing set in place for them and why so late? If you do the math this was only 96 years ago.
I also want to talk about kids who are young that are living their truth but people think they are “too young” to make decisions like that for themselves. Did you know that youth who are persons of the LGBTQ community are more likely to experience violence. 10% are threatened or actually INJURED with a weapon. Why are these people not protected? Where is the law and regulation to make this kind of violence unacceptable to us? This subject has too many stories of suicide, constant bullying, and humiliation within the LGBTQ community and nothing is being done.
I read a very interesting story which fueled this essay for me. “From he to she in First grade” by Laurie Frankel. I read this story and it opened my eyes to how the process can be difficult and confusing for parents to help their child accommodate to begin themselves regardless of what other people believed. It showed how loving, kind, and understanding his parents were towards her. I have seen a lot more negative things happening to children in non-accepted LGBTQ households. I also question why more households in acceptance of the LGBTQ community are not in mainstream media. We produce more hate than love through these readings and movies.
Did you know that back in 1952 if you came out it was considered a disease? Sociopathic Personality Disorder is what you were considered back in 1952. You were considered crazy, delusional, and not to be taken seriously. Imagine just begin yourself and the world is just constantly telling you what you are doing is wrong. You don’t deserve to be heard. You shouldn’t be like this, we can cure you.
By now I hope you are willing to consider these questions. What will I do to improve this situation? How can I provide guidance to mine and other people’s children? Although times have changed we are not done fighting this battle what will I do to move the process forward ? How can I help all of this process move quickly.
There are various ways to get involved in the LGBTQ community! You can hold conventions, start groups, even taking surveys around the neighborhood is a good start. I believe we need to hold conversations and conventions for things like this. I believe that people push away what they don’t understand and lean on generational teachings. This influences closed mindedness within our community. This makes people feel like they have nowhere to go.
Although so much has happened in the past, negative and positive my purpose is to influence you all to look forward. I want our future to be inclusive, loving, and so diverse. Here are a few milestones that have happened just this past month. “The general election results in three legislative firsts. Sarah McBride wins the Senate race for Delaware District 1, and will become the nation’s first person who publicly identifies as transgender to serve as a state senator. Ritchie Torres wins the House race for New York District 15, and will become the first Black member of Congress who identifies as gay. Mauree Turner wins the race for Oklahoma state House for District 88, and will become the first nonbinary state legislator in US history and first Muslim lawmaker in Oklahoma.” Look at all that has become! LGBTQ in office and making changes everyday it is time we all did the same collectively.
