ali d. Bonus Post - National Coming Out Day

I'm not going to say anything here that hasn't been said before, but it still needs to be said. And I hope that if enough people keep saying it, everyone will start to listen.

I am straight. I am female. I am white. I am middle-class. I am politically conservative. I am Catholic. And I am an ally of the LGBT movement for civil equality (and personal peace of mind).

We live in a nation in which each citizen is supposed to be equal, but there are still civil injustices being done every day to men and women based on their sexual orientation, a trait that is no more their choice than their race. Not only are these men and women neglected by our government, but they are mistreated by some of their fellow citizens. They are ostracized, bullied, jeered, and in extreme cases, tortured.

IT. MUST. STOP. Not next year. Not next week. Not tomorrow. Right. Now.

Today (at least for the next hour) is National Coming Out Day, an "internationally-observed civil awareness day for coming out and discussion about gay, lesbian, bisexual, asexual, and transgender (LGBT) issues."[1] So today, I'm writing to make sure that everyone on the Internet knows that I throw my hat in with the LGBT community. They are people, and they deserve the same rights and respect as any other human being.

So to all my friends and family members with a queer identity: I love you for exactly who you are. I will support your campaign for equality in any way I can. And I look forward to the day that we can knock down the closet permanently.

[1] Wikipedia