Are You Ready?

"In the End, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends. "--Martin Luther King, Jr.

I used the following quote as my status on Facebook, and immediately had three people give it a "thumbs up".

I'm glad to have the approval, and glader still that the Rev. Dr. King made the statement because it is one with which any member of a minority group can readily identify. We know our enemies hate us. But what cuts us deeper is when those who say they support us fail to show up in our defense. And with the forecast showing rain showers coming for tomorrow's "Rally in Tally for LGBT Equality", I'm worried that our friends will stay home. And, if they stay home, then we'll again appear to the powers-that-be as kittens rather than lions. And a kitten's meow is more easily ignored than a lion's roar.

It may rain on our parade, but we must keep the sunshine in our hearts and minds and souls. We, and our straight allies especially, must remain steadfast in our march toward justice, toward a world where your sexual orientation or gender identity is NOT reason for you to be fired from a job, denied the chance to adopt your partner's child (or any child), or kept as a second-class citizen with none of the rights to recognize your relationship. Florida discriminates against the LGBT community and has marginalized us. It is the work of those of us in the margins to demand our place in the community of all human people, and the obligation of the straight majority to let us in.

Show up! Fight back! Make noise! Because your silence will NOT protect you!