Come out, come out, wherever you are
May. 22nd, 2009 10:35 amWould Harvey Milk be proud of us?
For out lawmakers, fighting for equality is personal. When they stand up to speak openly and honestly about their own lives and ask colleagues to treat them fairly, their authenticity changes hearts and minds, and sometimes it even changes votes.
That's what Harvey had in mind when he asked all of us to come out to our parents, our siblings, our friends and our co-workers--not because it would make us feel better about ourselves, but because of the power he knew it could unleash.
That. That is why I choose to be out. Not only for myself, though lord knows I'd probably go insane staying the closet (I am clusterphobic, after all ^_^). But because, even though I'm sure it wil be hard--harder than being an out gay woman, or even an out queer trans woman, because I refuse to fit into ANY of the boxes and that scares people--I hope it will make it easier for someone else. If I make it any small way in my career (and I can ever finish the two books I have in mind with characters who also 'in ur gender, breakin' ur binary)...if I'm assaulted or (God forbid) murdered, maybe what I'll have gone through will make it easier for another genderfucker to come out and live openly, and be seen for more than their presentation.
For out lawmakers, fighting for equality is personal. When they stand up to speak openly and honestly about their own lives and ask colleagues to treat them fairly, their authenticity changes hearts and minds, and sometimes it even changes votes.
That's what Harvey had in mind when he asked all of us to come out to our parents, our siblings, our friends and our co-workers--not because it would make us feel better about ourselves, but because of the power he knew it could unleash.
That. That is why I choose to be out. Not only for myself, though lord knows I'd probably go insane staying the closet (I am clusterphobic, after all ^_^). But because, even though I'm sure it wil be hard--harder than being an out gay woman, or even an out queer trans woman, because I refuse to fit into ANY of the boxes and that scares people--I hope it will make it easier for someone else. If I make it any small way in my career (and I can ever finish the two books I have in mind with characters who also 'in ur gender, breakin' ur binary)...if I'm assaulted or (God forbid) murdered, maybe what I'll have gone through will make it easier for another genderfucker to come out and live openly, and be seen for more than their presentation.