Do Tell

Don’t ask don’t tell is a policy that has been in the military to ensure that gays and lesbians can still serve their country and not be slandered against or singled out and given harsh treatment. In some cases gays and lesbians are even beaten and killed. Though the military has the don’t ask don’t tell policy to ensure the safety of the people serving in the military specifically those who may be gay or lesbian I still find it alarming that a person who is willing to go to war and lay down their life for a country that supports freedom has to keep a major part of their identity a secret form everyone. This is not a good thing for that person. On top of the normal Post Traumatic Syndrome that solders are coming back with from war zones some are also coming back with more mental stress due to the fact that they not only have to hide a fact that they are gay or lesbian but have to put on a front that they are straight. This can lead to more stress and strain on the solder. Many would say that would be the perfect reason to not allow them into the military but just like with women and minorities being in the military and that being look down upon because of the mindset that these people would be and are inferior to white males when the fact of the matter is they are equal. The US military fights for freedom around the world and help to ensure that all people in the world have the right for freedom yet it can’t even secure that for its own people. This is something that needs to change. America cannot be a fighting to ensure freedom for all people from all countries when the very people that are fighting for that freedom for someone else are not free. Gays and lesbians should be able to enter the military openly and FREELY without having to face criticism. This again goes back to my last post about how kids need to be taught change to help ensure change that that our country continues to move toward equality of all people. It is time for America to start to fight for the freedom of all the people that call themselves Americans and then we can truly begin to fight for the freedom of all peoples in all areas of the world.

Make Up

Time for Change

What are major ways to help to ensure that society is moving in the right direction when it comes to gay and lesbian rights? There are a few ways that many people have already started working toward. One way is by promoting gay and lesbian rights in the media, and marketing new forms of media toward the mass public. A second way is to start organizations and create websites where people can go to learn the facts about gay and lesbian rights. But most importantly gay and lesbian rights needs to be taught in schools to ensure that future generations are not growing up with the wrong mindset. By teaching not just about gay and lesbian rights but by teaching about gender studies and equal rights as a whole people would be helping to ensure that youth are not growing up with the wrong or backwards way of thinking. It is important that kids are taught to be mindful and not judgmental. It is though our schools that society will be able to promote real change. It may not be immediate and it still may take some time but it is something worth fighting for. America is look to as a forward thinking company and due to that people need to ensure that we continue to teach our children what it is that we want for the future of our country otherwise we will not be accomplishing the goals that we set out to accomplish and people will look back in history and wonder why it was that our society did not change. The same way that we look back 40 year plus and think about how horrible the injustices were on blacks and all minorities. We need to learn form that mistake and not let history repeat itself. I often hear people say that history will repeat itself because that’s what it has always done. Well I have a question for them. If we know that history repeats itself why don’t we then see the change that is coming and prevent it and not let history repeat. Instead of resisting change because we are scared of it as a society why don’t we then not let history repeat itself and embrace it and more in the right directions which is towards equality and not division and repression. America was founded on diversity and for many people that meant race and religion but why can’t it also mean sexual orientation or sexual preference. The same way that many people have come to see the good that this Great Nation has done to help change the world let this be another moment for the United States of America to stand up for equality in all people and not run away form change but embrace it.

 Make Up

It Gets Better

There has been a heartbreaking amount of suicides in gay youth due to bullying. It has been present in the news very frequently over the past couple of years. Although this is a tragedy, a positive movement came out of it. The Trevor Project used this time to educate others about their organization and joined in the It Gets Better Project which asked celebrities and peers to record videos of encouragement to provide hope to the LGBT community. Here is an example of one created by The Trevor Project.

Obama Addresses Bullying

Bullying of gay youth specifically has lead to a number of suicides. This is a big problem righ now. Most of the time, adults never intervene and brush off the affects of bullying because they view it as a "right of passage" or a way to "build character." Bullying is much more intense than it used to be with the use of the internet giving way to cyber bullying. Before the use of the internet, children used to just deal with being bullied and harassed at school, when they got home it was safe. But now with cyberbullying, it never stops and they cannot even escape the harassment once they are home. Many kids are tormented so immensely that they feel the only way it will get better is if they take their life. We have all seen countless headlines about a parent coming home to find their child has taken their life because the bullying they endured. We are seeing more frequently that the reason these children are being bullied by their peers is because they are gay or their peers believe they are. We have to really be more aware of what is going on and stop making excuses for the act of bullying. It is not okay to let it happen and it is not okay for any child to go through that. For some reason we expect these young children to be able to be strong enough to handle being attacked every day and trust that things will get better. President Obama addressed the issue of gay youth suicides and school bullying in a Politics Daily article and said that there is a law against this kind of harassment that we should make children aware of to understand how serious this is and also that there is a values component, we need to treat others as we would like to be treated and this belief is taught at home. Parents need to take more of a responsibility for teaching their children respect and how to treat others. Most learned behaviors especially in young children reflect what is modeled and learned at home. Obama even reflected on his own experience being bullied as a child, "I do know what it's like to grow up feeling like sometimes you don't belong. It's tough." He offered a message of hope to those being bullied: "You are not alone. You didn't do anything wrong. You didn't do anything to deserve being bullied. And there is a whole world waiting for you, full of possibilities... There are people out there who love you and care about you, just the way you are. . . . You've got to reach out to people you trust." I think the biggest determining factor in a child choosing to fight or attempt taking their life is whether or not they have that support system and feel loved and connected to someone in their life. Here is a video of Obama addressing this important issue.

President Obama's New Stance

With the reelection of president Obama people supporting gay rights and specifically gay marriage are happy with the outcome of the reelection of President Obama. President Obama is a supporter of gay marriage and with his reelection to office all those who support now have a strong advocate for gay marriage to help try and ensure that a law is passed to allow gays and lesbians the right to marriage. This will be a huge step in the move toward equality. Many people feel that this is the next big step in move in society toward creating a world with no discrimination. Yahoo news talks about how President Obama is open on his stance on gay marriage. He feels that it is an “evolution” that let him to this new stance on gay marriage. Here is a clip of President Obama talking about his stance on his new view on gay marriage. It is something that might have help to lead him to a second term so let’s hope that he is really for and willing to support gay marriage and it wasn’t just another political move.

The New Normal Follow up and Second Weekly Feature

Hello Readers, Last week we began our first weekly feature. We introduced the above clip and asked you to give your input and opinions on what you thought this clip was about. We appreciate the participation dearly. This clip really dived into different aspects. First there is the fear of being gay fathers, and it hindering the lives of their children. Secondly, there is the idea that there is a new normal. The world is much more open to the unconventional now being conventional. The truth is many gays go through this fear which is stemmed by the world accepting certain norms. The fear that being a father will make a child turn out bad, is elevated by the world's view of normal. Well, thank goodness things are changing. Anyone who has the yearn and passion to be a parent should be able to, regardless of their sexual preferences. I hope your conclusions were along those lines. If not, here is another clip for this week try again!

 

Okay, this weekly feature is highly loaded. I hope you have a blast figuring it out. In this clip Bryan goes into the catholic church to confess his sins to the priest and in a way gain clarity. Do you think you can figure out the message in this one? Good Luck!!!

 

Moving to "The New Normal"

Do to the new weekly feature that my team as added to our blog I decided to talk more about the show that we are featuring for our weekly blog. The New Normal is a show that depicts the change taking place in society. This is a show that addresses more than just one issue. Though two of the main characters are gay and many gay issues are addressed in the show there are many other issues that the show also addresses but the overall them that they show is addressing is equality. This is a show that does a great job at not bring light and exposure to issues but shows how those issues affect people. This is important because for many people they will feel a certain way about people and their beliefs and they will also make sure to let everyone know how they feel. What they often do not see is the fallout of their remarks and how it affected the people they were discriminating. The grandmother in the show is someone that is stuck in her ways and is extremely raises and prejudice. I feel that this is essential for the show because it shows that there are still many people in the world that feel the same way as she does. However the show also shows how when people are strong and stand up for what they believe in then people can begin to have a change of heart. The fact that she is older is also important because it shows that even after spending most to all of one’s life viewing something in a certain way there is still the ability to change after becoming aware of the facts and truth. Here is a quick extended version of the trailer about the show.

 

 

As you can see from the trailer it does a good job of addressing many issues that are still very relevant in our society. It is also showing the change that is taking place in our society. It brings to light the need and importance of equality among all people. I feel that this show is a perfect show to be featured on our blog. This is what our blog is about. It is about equality. Growing up in California I feel that I have been exposed to many cultures and views. I have also been blessed to go to a high school and college that is very diverse and I feel that seeing how people can accomplish so much when differences are put aside further made me want to fight for equality of all people. The greatest way to prevent success is trough division. It speaks to the notion of divide and concern. This show does a great job at showing how when we come together we can all help to ensure that we are all successful and we can all accomplish our dreams and then in turn help to ensure that others are able to accomplish their dreams.

Who's Say is it?

In the article Stop SB48's surprising failure: TVC staffer's 'wake up call' is my reason to sleep more soundly. 
 There is an important aspect that is brought to light. It talks about the Traditional Values Coalition (TVC) and their  goal toward their anit-LGBT movement. It turned out that their goal toward opposing the movement failed after all of their efforts. This is very bizarre seeing as though they always win when it comes to putting an opposition to anything gay on the ballad. Now that is the most important part, is the surprise aspect of it.This expectation that anything that opposes gay-ism automatically can get a win, which for the most part is true. In in the article Mugged shot: TVC lifts pro-gay photog's pic for own anti-gay promo, it discusses a similar idea but from another aspect. A photographer who copy righted a picture, had his picture taken and used by the TVC for an anti-LGBT campaign without being asked permission. Apparently, it was okay to do this without permission because gay people seem to have no say. This goes back to the first article that depicts the idea that if it has to do with anti-LGBT, then there is a win. I am pretty sure it that guy who took the photo was not a supporter of LGBT, they would have asked his permission. So if  your gay you do not have a say?

Mother Land and the Gays

The African American community has always been one of controversy. Dating back to their origin, they always seemed to have had this unique quality to them, something separating them from the rest of the other races. As a result of this I personally feel as though, that is the reason most of them are the way they are. Among the many things African Americans are, they are very close to their religion and practice this ability to hold on to norms and culture. Now this is not to say that they are all this way, but judging from my perspective of being and African American female these are the conclusions I have made. This need to hold on to normality even spreads back to their roots in Africa. Also having experienced the African, lifestyle I can attest to the aggressive yearn to abide by custom and anything out of the ordinary is frowned up.In places like Africa it is even much more severe, because they make laws that appeal to harsh penalties for derailing from custom.
In a place like America African American have a need to stay close to their norms, and this is very clear when it comes to homosexuality. They are not excited to hear that their strong, black, and eligible men are becoming feminine or playing the role of a girl or are sexually attracted to another man. When I was in high school I had a friend who was gay and every one knew he was gay. I am sure his parents knew but he told me he never told them or talked about it. This was as a result of the fear of what they would think and or do. He would joke " if I ever told my mama I was gay, she beat the shit out of me!" Although this is a free country his culture still hindered him from being open and honest with his family. He would tell me secretes about other African American guys on the football team that he engaged in sexual acts with. But he had to keep it a secrete because they did not want it coming out. This fear of coming out, is also very similar in Nigeria,Africa. Guys are forced to express their sexuality under wraps and behind closed hotel room doors. There are men who are even married, and end up sleeping men and holding emotionally charged relationships with other men in the midst of their marriage. This is not because they want to be hurtful, but because they can not come out and say it and live as a homosexual.
I know your thinking, but that is the same problem for every gay guy, and your right. The only difference is, the culture that is at the foundation of coming out. Although African Americans have assimilated into the American culture of freedom to a certain degree, that root in Africa of custom still flows through their veins undiluted and fresh.  It is so left field for a Black man, an African man, or an African American man to come out and say he is gay. As a result of how deeply the African American culture holds on to their custom. A man is supposed to be a mans man no questions asked. He is supposed to be large and in charge, he supposed to love women to pieces and have many wives and girlfriends. Not to be attracted to other men, if a Black man is gay he is automatically thought of a less than man or inferior. As a result of that, they all stay closeted. And there will continue to be men hiding themselves and their sexuality because of their cultural expectations.  

weekly feature clip and description

Hello to all of our followers! We are happy to announce that we will be starting our Weekly Feature! We will be showing clips from the new television show "The New Normal". Each clip will have an overall message behind it and we would love to hear what you think about the clip and what you think that the message is that the show is trying to teach. After watching the clip please comment on what you think that episode's message/lesson was. Then on next weeks weekly feature we will first talk about what the message was from the previous week and then will have a new clip to view and discuss. This weekly feature is set up to show how our society is now doing more to promote equality and educate people. We hope that you enjoy and find the clips to be both entertaining and informative.

True Equality

I came across an article in The Huffington Post that interviewed the singer Pink on her views about gay marriage and the 2012 election. I found her answers so enlightening. When asked her opinion on gay marriage she responded, "I think that the best day will be when we no longer talk about being gay or straight -- it’s not a 'gay wedding,' it’s just a ‘wedding,'""It's not a ‘gay marriage,' it’s just ‘a marriage.' "It's not a 'black man' or ‘white woman,' it’s just 'a man' and 'a woman,' or 'a human' and 'a human.' I’d just like to get to that.” I found her response to be so beautiful and eye opening. Even those of us who are supportive of gay rights and gay marriage do still isolate the comunity. The ultimate dream would be to get to a place where we don't have to isolate this community. We should strive for a day where we don't even think of them as different, where it really is just another couple or wedding. I am so happy that we are making progress in this movement as the 2012 election demonstrated but I am well aware that we still have a lot of change that needs to take place to make this dream a reality. I think it’s asinine for someone to think they are better than another person. I have never understood that and I have no tolerance for that. I know that I have not gone through what the LGBT community has to get to this point but I look forward to standing beside them fighting for the life they deserve.

Progress...

The 2012 elections brought about small victories for the LGBT community. In the article, Tammy Baldwin Election Results: Democrat Becomes First Openly Gay Senator Amanda Terkel describes the historical magnitude of Baldwin becoming the first woman U.S. senator for Wisconsin and the first openly gay member of the U.S. Senate. In another article from The Huffington Post, it talks about the victory the election brought in regards to the states that voted for marriage equality. This movement is progressing. This is a historical moment to be celebrated.

Celebrating Change

With the 2012 elections now over there were many victories concerning Gay and Lesbian rights. From the reelection of President Obama to propositions that passed allowing same sex marriage. Across many different sites people are celebrating the some small victories and others large victories. The Huff Puff has some articles celebrating the victory in Maryland to allow gay marriage. change.org also talks about victories but also stresses the work that is still to come and still must be done to ensure equality across all states. Human Rights Campaign discusses what's next for the four states that approved same sex marriage. They made reference to what happened in California where people were same sex couples were allowed to marry but then it was overturned and now it is being taken to the Supreme Court for a final decision. With a president that is for same sex marriage it will help to ensure that the momentum gained from this past election will carry on to more progress. All in all the feeling is that this past election brought a huge win for the Gay and Lesbian community.

God Saved Me

Being gay  has always been a tip over toward religion.  In the article “One of the most reprehensible 'advice' columns you'll ever read. For shame, Matt Moore” there is a description of this aspect. A young man gave a testimony regarding  how God saved him from being completely enthralled with his homosexuality. This article gets one to think and analyze that a person can still be attracted to the same sex and believe in God. When it comes to religion much like everything else in life, things are not black and white there are grey areas. In the article “First Federated, second 'protect marriage' rally” the First Federate church holds a rally to protect the purity of marriage, during the elections. These two articles brings to the fore front the idea that, people are narrow minded when it comes to the combination of religion and homosexuality. There should be nothing wrong with a gay person being religious, and a church holding a rally to oppose gay marriage does not make sense. This is senseless, because a gay person could possibly be part of that congregation. In the article regarding a man who found God,  he stated that he was still gay. Why is it that there has to be a connection to ones religion and their sexual preference? The reality of it is that there really is not any connections. They are two different aspects of life. One is not and should not be determined by the other. If in fact this does occur it is because one has chosen it to be that way. Which makes it a personal choice. What do you decide?

I Am Free!

    America, for as long as I can remember has always been a place of freedom. Growing up as a child in Nigeria, Africa I remember all the talk that went around about everyone trying to come to America. There was always this reverence about how perfect it would be because of all the opportunities that the land afforded. According to the chatter, there was  a freedom to join what ever religion you wanted to, a freedom to go and do what ever you wanted too, and most importantly there was a freedom to excel to any level of success with hard work. Being a child I was so excited at the thought of such freedoms and now that I am adult in America, I now sincerely understand the in depth importance of these affordances.
    When I first came to this country in the early 2000s I never even fathomed  the idea of homosexuality. Where I am from people are stoned and burned alive naked or jailed for practicing homosexual acts publicly. By the time I got to high school I saw it every where. Guys dating guys and girls making out with each other publicly. And by the time I got to high school I saw it as normal for people and children in America to express themselves freely. Although all this freedom was slithering around everywhere, I noticed that people in charge such as principles teachers and even students were not exactly supportive of such behaviors. There were certain actions depicted, like treating them with a different demeanor than other students that were straight.
    In addition to school environments, there is also the work place. Naturally public display of affection isn’t professional at all, but making out with your husband as woman would probably sit better than a man making out with his husband/partner as a man. According to one of the professors in my class, one of her friends who conducts research at a university was asked to sign a contract prior to being hired. This contract stated that, if those in charge felt as though she was exhibiting any actions that exuded homosexuality, she could be fired. So the termination would be based on any scale those in charge see as fit for the grounds to terminate, no matter how small accusation.
    Okay, now I get it. So America was not as free as I thought. I am beginning to understand that this freedom that was always reverenced is based on a certain stipulation. It is as though you only get the entirety of this freedom if you do no step on anyone’s toes. Why wasn’t all of the employees at the school required to sign such a document? Why is it that high school kids that express themselves publicly based on their sexual orientation, has to be looked at differently? This really protrudes the question how free is America? Is it only great when people are adhering to the unspoken ethical guidelines of life, such as not being gay. We should be very aware of the surroundings which we consider to be endlessly free.

Facebook

Facebook has become a huge influence in our lives over the past few years. Now, we even define the stability of a romantic relationship by declaring to be in that relationship on facebook profiles. We take that to mean that if someone is willing to announce that private information to all their friends and family on facebook, then it must be official. Until recently, same sex couples did not have a way to express their relationship status on facebook. Facebook added "In a Civil Union," and "In a Domestic Partnership" relationship statuses that can be displayed on user profiles. This is a big step for the LGBT community. It is a way for them to be included in a way that heterosexuals are in this social network. Recently, Facebook created marriage emoticons depicting same sex couples which you can see above. There are same sex brides and same sex grooms. The feedback recieved for this development has not been all positive. There are now complaints that they are discriminating against transgender individuals since they are having to choose a gender for their profile while they are conflicted about choosing one and resisting conforming to the pressures of society. Facebook actually was just awarded the Special Recognition Award from GLAAD for their contributions to inclusions of this community on their site.  I really feel like this is a big step. It is not just supportive of these individuals but it is also helping to give them a more accurate identity online. We are supposed to portray who we are on this site, and I can only imagine what it would feel like to not even have available options of how you could genuinely portray yourself. Honestly, before reading articles about this I never really thought about how facebook affected the LGBT community. But it really hit me. I think these new developments willgive the community a sense of validation.. It is beautiful to see change of this stature taking place.

Gay Rights Impact Election

In a Huffington Post article entitled Obama Reaffirms Same-Sex Marriage Platform As Election Closes Sam Stein provides evidence of the stance President Oboma has held regarding same sex marriages and rights throughout the 2012 Presidential Campaign. He includes an interview where President Oboma states what is going to change this issue. In a Chicago Tribune article there is a discussion of the same sex initiatives Obama has endorsed in Washington, Maryland and Maine. It looks like the movement to get these rights and end the discrimination is getting closer to a reality. This is the frst time a president has ever supported gay rights and same sex marriage. This is a historical moment. This has been a very gradual progression in fighting for the equality this community deserves. It feels like it is actually possible to make this dream a reality, as if we can see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Who Runs the Gays?

The "Gill" Question and Religion and Attitudes Toward Same-Sex Marriage,  are two articles that have a description that tailor towards the idea of gay rights and how it holds up when it comes to marriage. In the “The Gill Question”, the article discusses a court case that is going on: Gill, et al. v. Office of Personnel Management, et al. This case is based on the terminology which people use to describe gay couples in the legal aspect, and how this terminology effects them in terms of taxes. In the article “Religion and Attitudes Toward Same-Sex Marriage”,  there is a detailed description of the polls and how it varies when it comes to who supports gay marriage. The combination of these articles brought to light for me, the connection between who is supporting gay marriage and how it hold up in law. I feel as though these laws are passes respective to the views of certain groups. Although there is a significant growth in the number in people who are actually in support of gay marriage, some of the number have decreased as well or stayed the same. It seems as though, as the numbers increase each year, the allowances for the gays, increase by a small margin in the legal system. Every year new states permit marriage, and the numbers are growing. This trial is a big deal because if gays will be allowed to be tagged as “married” as opposed to “partnership”, not only affects their rights to what they can benefit government-ally, but makes it seem as though their not in a real marriage.           
  

This is so Gay?

last night while I was going through my Black Berry messenger (BBM) updates, one of my contacts had a status up that stated: " Power Puff Girls has one of the gayest characters ever!". Now looking at this status so many things rushed to mind. Is he referring to a character on there as bad? What does he mean by that term "gay"? Is there a character on there that is actually gay? I was to say the least confused. This really beckons the question what exactly it is that people mean when they saying something is gay. And why is it that term that they us to describe something. There are millions of words in the dictionary, and the one people use as an adjective is gay. Technically speaking the word gay dates back to centuries ago, and it was used to describe happiness or being happy or cheerful. In these recent days vocabulary has clearly taken a different turn, because now people seemingly just describe what ever they are referring too as happy and they do not use the term gay for it. And yet i still hear people talking about a subject in the term of gay. When I was in high school, that was the popular thing to do. If I recall clearly about 95% of the football team, all referred to anything that was not up to part or good enough as gay. when ever they lost a game I would here them talking about it, lamenting: "Mehn! you see that ref call that wack ass penalty, yo! that was gay!". This was to conclude, that because it was not what he wanted it was gay. Therefore this means that gay in its entirety is a negative thing. This is by far the most insulting and degrading action one can take on a set of people. That is the equivalent of calling something black (in terms of race) because it was not good enough of, or it was lacking in greatness and superiority. By doing that one has taken a verbal gun and shot down the whole Black/African American race as complete losers. 

Maybe people are not really aware of what they are doing when they call things gay. It is as though our society as a whole has put this horrid stigma on gay-ism, thus filling people's mind with an innate natural response to it as being a bad one. Which has caused people to then always refer to mistakes or lacking as gay.There is really no need to play the blame game, because at the end of the day we are all individuals in free America. As a result of this individuality we are responsible for ourselves and how we choose to think, act, and most importantly speak. This being the case, that puts the blame on us not to use the word gay as an adjective, unless it is for what it really means. If you are not describing a homosexual, or talking about immense happiness do not use it. Not only is it offensive it is down right ignorant. Additionally, Much like the word "Negah", there are just certain people who are not socially permitted to use it in certain contexts. This is the case with the word gay. It is to a certain extent sensitive to usage. 

According to my BBM Contact he was actually referring to a character on the Power Puff Girls, who he felt behaves as though he is gay. But if one does not know him and did not ask him, the statement would and did resonate as rude and hurtful. Be aware of the power you have as an individual. 

      

When Will it End?

Homosexuals have to endure torment and harassment due to who they are attracted to and love. In the past couple of years we have seen more and more bullying aimed at teenagers who are gay. They are relentlessly tormented by their classmates and with technology they are not safe when they get home. The bullying is endless. Cyber bullying is a serious problem today. How would you feel if you were constantly being attacked and didn’t have a safe place to go? For many, it is all too much to bear and they end up taking their own lives. The hate and discrimination towards the LGBT community has caused far too much pain. It has taken countless lives of young individuals who had so much to offer. At a Trevor Project event to raise awareness to youth suicide and suicide prevention Laurie Ann Gibson choreographed a dance to embody a young person going through this trying to be heard. She introduced the piece saying, “Tonight it’s about saving young lives. Yesterday or the day before, someone was confused about their sexuality, and in their confusion they decided that the only option was to take their life. Because I’m not who you think I should be and because I don’t do what you think I should do, that I’m not worth living. That’s a crime. How dare we not love each other unconditionally?” This is such a beautiful, powerful statement. It really hits me and seeing the dance takes it to another level. What we need to remember is just because you don’t understand it, doesn’t make it wrong. I think people who discriminate against this community forget how much we have in common. We all feel the same things. We all feel sadness, happiness, love and anger. We all go through struggles and have to overcome obstacles. Who you love should not have to be an additional struggle you have to face. It’s a part of who you are. If you are lucky enough to find happiness and love in someone, hold on to it, it is so rare and it shouldn’t matter who it’s with.    We need to work on seeing past the labels and really getting to know each other. This hate has caused so many deaths. It has shown up in countless headlines. What is finally going to be enough?