Our Stories.

Our stories are a powerful weapon, they change people’s minds.

I am never comfortable telling people to come out and tell their stories because you never know the what they face everyday in their lives… but for those that fell comfortable and can safety do so, come out. Harvey Milk was right in his "That's What America Is" speech.

“Gay brothers and sisters,... You must come out. Come out... to your parents... I know that it is hard and will hurt them but think about how they will hurt you in the voting booth! Come out to your relatives... come out to your friends... if indeed they are your friends. Come out to your neighbors... to your fellow workers... to the people who work where you eat and shop... come out only to the people you know, and who know you. Not to anyone else. But once and for all, break down the myths, destroy the lies and distortions. For your sake. For their sake. For the sake of the youngsters who are becoming scared by the votes from Dade to Eugene.”

― Harvey Milk

Our stories make a difference.

Florida and Texas can't outlaw my family
CNN
Opinion by Claire McCully
March 15, 2022


Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis recently defended a bill his opponents call a "don't say gay bill" by claiming that this law prohibits "sexual instruction in grades pre-K through three," and then followed that with the question of "how many parents want their kindergartners to have transgenderism or something injected into classroom instruction?"

As a parent -- and a trans mother, daughter and sister -- I have an honest answer to DeSantis's disingenuous question.

I reject the fearmongering and dishonesty from the likes of DeSantis and his anti-LGBTQ colleagues and allies. The idea that school districts are actually trying to add anything like "sexual instruction" to pre-K through third-grade curriculum is ludicrous.

What is really angering anti-LGBTQ alarmists in Florida and other states -- most notably in Texas -- is that schools and society at large are promoting acceptance and inclusion for gender-nonconforming children and LGBTQ parents.

[…]

People like DeSantis, Paxton and Abbott want to stigmatize the mere knowledge, acceptance and inclusion of transgender and gay people. And as seen most horrifically in Texas, they even seek to criminalize parents who are doing their best to support and care for their children.

All we want to do is live our lives.

Not only do we need to come out but our allies also need to come out. When we come out we speak out of personal interest but when our allies speak up they do so from their heart.

In the end, my son should be able to acknowledge me as a parent in the classroom without fear that his family will be stigmatized as something inappropriate. And yes, other students may have questions about why I am different (taller and with a deeper voice than the average mom, for example), and teachers should be able to affirm and promote the acceptance of families that are different without fear of triggering a lawsuit by prejudiced parents.

When I was in the closet and I went to trans conference over the weekend at work I couldn’t say how great a weekend that I had… “Naw, didn’t do much, just hung out at the house.” meanwhile I wanted to jump up and down saying how fabulous the conference was but I could say a word.

At work when marriage equality, a gay engineer put a picture of his husband on his desk.

When it was taboo to talk about gay relationships, you used to hear that gays had dozens and dozens of partners but many were in long term relationships.

Now governors and legislators want to force us back into the closets, then don’t want the picture on the desk of a lesbian couple. They don’t want to know about how your weekend was because it will make them feel “uncomfortable” and heaven forbid we don’t want to feel uncomfortable so we’ll go back into ‘d closet for you all.

We will suffer anxiety and depression for you all just so you won’t feel uncomfortable and our children will be made to feel that something is wrong with their parents because they will not be able to talk about them in school.

Being out makes a difference, Amy Schneider on Jeopardy making a difference, Danica Roem is making a difference, Laverne Cox is making a difference, and we all can make a difference by being out (But please only is it is safe to do so.).