I am sorry

For many, many, years I have asked myself if I was born in time for the civil rights marches and the civil rights movement in general would I have been out among those individuals fighting for what should have been their inalienable rights to begin with. Would I have burned my bra in support of women’s suffrage? My passion for justice stirred within me as I watched in horror the history videos of the horrible things that were happened for equality. I burned to believe that I would be one of those individuals in the front of the line marching for justice. Justice for all…..right?!?!?!

Recently, and sadly, I have come to realize that I might not have been. The reason I say that is because of everything going on now, right now, with the LGBTQ community and I am doing nothing. NOTHING! I don’t post my outrage on Facebook when people slam gays and lesbians and tell them they are going to hell. I don’t speak up when people refuse to respect someone’s gender identity because ‘that’s not how they were born’ (by the way they were born that way, it just did not match on the outside). I stay quiet when people say marriage is between man & woman because that is the way it has always been.  I let people say hateful things in the name of their religious beliefs. And I do NOTHING.

It has sadden me to realize this about myself. I have let down a majority of my friends, my niece, and my son by not speaking up. It is crazy to me how many people are so concerned about what is going on in the house down the street, where two happily married people (who happen to be of the same gender) live when in their own homes there are all types of things going on. (Straight people can be pretty freaky too!) It saddens me as well that in some way, shape, or form we all have something that someday a majority could decide is ‘not right’ and then our rights will be taken away. It wasn’t that long ago that inter-racial relationships were outlawed. It wasn’t long before that when African-Americans had no rights. Around the same time women had no rights. At one point in history Christians had no rights and were killed for their beliefs. But there were strong people, stronger than me I suppose, that stood up for what was right and things changed. What you believe NOW is right or wrong can drastically change tomorrow when it is your best friend, son, daughter, cousin whose rights are being taken away. Remember when everyone thought the Earth was flat?

To my friends, family, and society I am sorry. Sorry I did not do my part and speak up. Sorry I allowed the hate filled messages to go unchecked. Sorry that so many people have forgotten the time they were different. Sorry that there is a need for MORE laws to be written so you can enjoy the same inalienable rights as every single one of us. I am sorry I was silent and allowed you to suffer because of it. I am sorry that so many wonderful awesome people kill themselves every day, never reaching or seeing their potential, because someone somewhere decided their type of love was ‘wrong’. Love is never wrong.