now

This has been and currently is a weekend full of righteous movement and vigorous commentary on the perceived, prescribed and promised plans for the LGBT community. The President spoke to the HRC fund raiser crowd, talking about how the time is now for change within the LGBT community. And all day in Washington D.C. hundreds of thousands of Americans are gathered in front of the Capitol listening, wishing, and contemplating to the words and choruses of speakers promoting a better way a fairer way a more just and equitable way for the LGBT community.

We take from this weekend's stirring words, striking commentary, satisfying statements on how we MUST precede forward and how we MUST not let the mistakes of the past confuse our direction ahead. We take from this weekend a call for action. But whose action do we call upon?

It has been 40 years since the riots of Stonewall, when the drag queens in a NYC bar could no longer take the discriminatory bigoted behaviors of the police and rebelled. It has been 30 years since the murder of Harvey Milk and his promise to make all Americans equal. And it has been 5 years since Massachusetts legalized same sex marriage, permitting at least the citizens of that Commonwealth to share in the rights that all citizens who chose marriage, have provided for them.

It has been in my life time 60 years to come to an understanding of who I am, and of the many variations on my life, and the many aspects and aspirations I seek and have sought. My coming out was arduous and angry begrudging and beckoning, and thank God finally beautiful and bright.

And now I do not want to stop the momentum. Nor do I want to allow others to deny me from all and anything I can achieve and deserve. I used to think I was less than, sinful, and sick. I USED to think all of that. But I took actions in my life to change all of THAT.

I grow tired of hoping others will permit me to live an equal life. I grow weary of waiting for the MAJORITY to consider if my life life meets their standards. I grow angry when ignorant, Biblical based bigots, uneducated self loathing lemmings contemplate my future based on the short comings of their lives. I grow impatient when told after 40 years of fighting back, it is not the time for LGBT Americans to be full and equal.

Who are YOU to deny ME the same joys, the same pains, the same misery the same hope?

This is and has been a weekend of standing on soap boxes, before a podium, on a stage, in front of an audience with words spewing about NOW is our time. And how we will NEVER AGAIN permit the sins of the past to be renewed.

Good words, but dead words without any action to follow.

So, as I finally found the gumption and the guts to come out, I encourage all of us to find the same resilience, the resolve and the readiness to take the actions and force the issue of equality for all Americans. Each time we become a little more free, all of us benefit. And in this Human Race we all should be running for the same finish line.