National Coming Out Day 2010

I joined with about a dozen other people to stand at a busy intersection in Tallahassee with signs that read, "Stay Alive Gay is OK!" and "Yes, I Am SO Gay". We hung the PFLAG banner and a couple of our people held the other PFLAG sign to show support from straight parents and allies for LGBT people, particularly children and teenagers. Overall, these Monday morning commuters were positive. We had many thumbs up and people honking their horns and waving. But we did have detractors. There was one guy in a pick up truck towing a trailer who decided to take his turn as wide and as hard as he could, blowing a cloud of black exhaust up in our faces. There were others who also took their turns wide with the seeming intent to bully us with use of their two-ton trucks. And then there was the van for some Tallahassee Church for Teens where the man in the passenger seat leaned out the window to yell, "Jesus frees you!" To which I yelled back, "Yes, he made me gay!"

As our local PFLAG chapter President, I had a prepared statement ready to hand out to the media should any of them show up (which they did not). So, I'll share it here:

"Coming out is an individual choice and one that should lead a person to a sense of freedom, joy and comfort in one’s own skin. Being able to live as the person you were meant to be is what everybody wants to do. Sadly, the media reports keep rolling in reminding us all that for LGBT people, especially teenagers, there is a price to be paid for simply being who they are. They are verbally abused by students and teachers; physically assaulted by classmates; and sometimes brutally attacked by casual acquaintances just because they are a different sexual orientation or gender identity. This must end now.
Schools are a microcosm of our larger society. If those in authority, both secular and religious, continue to support laws and policies that create separate and unequal categories in which to place LGBT people, then what message does that send to the students on middle, high school and college campuses? Policies such as Don’t Ask , Don’t Tell and the Defense of Marriage Act run counter to the promises made by the pledge of allegiance recited in classrooms all over this country. If we are truly “one nation, under God, indivisible” then there needs to be “liberty and justice for ALL.”
For this National Coming Out Day, it's not only time for all LGBT people to stand up for who they are, it is time for our schools, government and religious institutions to come out from the denial that there is no prejudice, students are safe, and we are enlightened. Parents, Families, and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) is a safe harbor for those families wishing shelter and affirmation that having an LGBT kid is OK. Our desire is to see our society reflect that same welcome for all people, regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity."

It's 2010. Isn't it time to live and let live?