LGBT Only Settling For Rights: Is OK Good Enough?

Being gay in other areas of the world is punishable by death, we should appreciate that in America at least we are not killed for being LGBT.

I hope you can feel the sarcasm. If you cannot, allow me to clarify. I am being somewhat sarcastic. Much of what I talk about is opinionated and kind of on the fence. Not this.

I very much feel for my brothers and sisters across the world who are way more oppressed than Americans. However, because we have more rights than them does NOT mean that we should stop fighting to be equal.

Just because we are not dragged into the streets and shot for being gay doesn't mean that we've made it. My boyfriend and I can hold hands in Dominoe's now, cool, that's it! Now were there, we are totally equal...NO, NO, NO!

I know that America is still behind the curve by comparison to other, more progressive countries. At least in marriage equality, this doesn't count sociological views as a whole.

We have miles to go. Our children are far more progressive than we were at that same age and in that there is much hope. We still don't see many LGBT athletes. When we do, they become novelties and exceptions. This shouldn't be so. LGBT CEO's shouldn't be magazine articles, they should be commonplace.

I would even argue that we are OK. There are still many places where if my partner and I walked into a restaurant we would be unwelcomed. If only by the ugly stares. Is that OK? Because we weren't shot at, or beat up? That's good enough? I don't think so. I will not settle for that, not now and not ever. Neither should you.

What if we never felt self-conscious about our sexuality? What if we never thought to ourselves "when is a good time to tell them i'm gay?" What about being trans? What if transitioning was a time of celebration rather than stress? These are things we NEED to be focusing on. Don't stop because the government isn't hunting us.

Don't "settle."

We as a collective and as individuals are worth perfection. We are worth equality, and to be rid of shame and self-conscious and self-defeating internal biases.

Know that you are loved and appreciated, if only be me, but we all know that isn't true...is it...

With Love

Jeff Utnage