LGBT WE JUST WANT EQUALITY!

So, this rant is about LGBT (Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender) rights.

Now, there's a lot more letters that can be added. Q for queer or questioning, A for ally or asexual, T can also be transexual (though some people don't consider that politically correct), P for pansexual...

But anyway.

If there's one thing that is a problem in today's society it is the fact that the LGBT community is mistreated. Gay marriage is considered illegal in all but a small handful of states and isn't recognized federally, in many states anti discrimination laws do not include protection from hate crimes based on sexual orientation, and as we have seen in the news recently, bullying people using language such as "gay" in a negative connotation is causing depression and suicidal thoughts on schoolchildren. This lack of understanding of anything that isn't heterosexual is affecting many Americans.

Gay Marriage. I know several people who currently would not be allowed to marry someone they love and are committed to, simply because of an idea that marriage is between a man and woman only, simply because gay marriage isn't considered "normal" or "moral." I know other people, who include myself, who have only a 50% chance of marrying, depending on what sex that their true love ends up being. Anti gay marriage supporters claim that gay marriage will lead to things like polygamy and will ruin family values, but honestly, the important thing about family is love. If I had to choose whether a child should be raised in a family run by a loving gay couple, or an abusive straight one, I know the child would be better off where they could be loved. And as far as the "sanctity of marriage" goes, I'm sorry, I find gay marriage between two loving partners far more sacred than a straight, drunk one night stand wedding in Vegas that gets annulled a week later.

Homophobia. Ugh, I hate homophobia. Let's put it this way: I understand for a lot of people, it depends on how you are raised whether you will be homophobic and all, but it disgusts me that groups like the Westboro Baptist Church insist that gays will go to hell, and that God hates anyone who supports gays. It horrifies me that some people will raise small children to grin as they hold up signs saying things like "God hates fags" and similar horrific things. Homophobia isn't always as extreme as WBC, but it can still be really bad. A large number of LGBT teens feel unsafe in their schools, or unwilling to express their sexual orientation, because of bullying resulting from anti gay feelings of peers in schools. Some teens report missing school because they felt they were in danger there due to homophobic bullying.

Schools/ Sex Ed. Now, if there's one thing that I've noticed, a lot of schools don't talk about sexual orientations at all in school. Sex Ed is strictly about heterosexual sex. Sexual orientations are not explained in classes. I didn't hear the terms 'gay' or 'lesbian' until I was in sixth grade. I didn't hear about bisexuality until eighth. I spent a good year or so trying to figure out if I was straight or a lesbian, which was terrifying for me, because of the lack of explanation of sexual orientations. Now, I'm not saying homosexuality should be forced down the throats of students. I mean, that already happens with heterosexuality, and it's horrible. I just want for there to be diversity, equal amounts of time teaching about these things in school for gays and lesbians as well as straight kids. If we don't talk about this, how can we promote tolerance?

Anyway, the main thing about LGBT issues that needs to be addressed is tolerance. Without a start of tolerance and willingness to acknowledge the differences in sexual orientation, and acceptance and support of these differences, no progress can be made. How can we get gay marriage without support of allies and others who support us? How can we get an end to discrimination and hate crimes without acknowledgement that these things are very real and very wrong?

We need tolerance. We need to work together to help with LGBT equality. We need everyone, be they gay, straight, transgender, bisexual, lesbian, anything. It is not a movement for "just the gays" but for everyone who supports equality.

So don't tell me, "Oh, I'm straight, why should I help? I support it, but I shouldn't be involved." Yes, you should! I don't care what your sexual orientation is, if you support us, THAT is so incredibly important to the cause!

So c'mon! Help out with LGBT equality! Write letters, go to marches, participate in days of silence, write letters to senators, governors, presidents about why you support LGBT rights, make blog posts, write songs, make movies, do ANYTHING you can think of to support us!