ad·mire
/ədˈmī(ə)r/
Verb:
| 1. Regard (an object, quality, or person) with respect or warm approval.
2. Look at with pleasure. |
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I have said it multiple times in verbal conversation but I wanted to take a few minutes to really talk about it with all of the rights equality stuff going on right now. I honestly admire LGBT people. I want to hang out with them, and learn about their lives. I am not gay myself, but I strongly support their cause. Why you might ask? I didn’t really know why until I read a recent post from Brian Rountree regarding the struggles (some rather violent) he had faced throughout his life of being openly gay, it finally clicked as to why I admire these people so much.
My class and generation hasn’t had to fight for a damn thing. The biggest inconvenience most of us face day to day is when our chips get stuck in the vending machine. The straight white male has been given everything, or at least the opportunity to have anything. Now don’t get me wrong, I have certainly earned a lot of things in my life, and many of those I had to fight for, but not in the same way with such great consequence.
I have clawed my way through technology doing some pretty cool stuff and getting an opportunity to work on amazing things, it has taken dedication, sweat, tears, many long nights and that sacrifice isn’t close to over yet but it has never cost me jail time, or 3 on 1 fight, being persecuted or discriminated with true hatred. In essence I was fighting for what most anyone could have if they tried hard enough. A pretty soft and comfortable life if you think about it.
LGBT people are right now, and have been for quite a while, fighting every day just for their right to love someone. Such a simple basic component of society that some people don’t want them to have. They literally risk life and limb every day they choose to express a core component of who and what they are.
That is admirable.
If you think about it, it is one of the most admirable things that our generation will see on US soil. I know there are terrible things going on all over the world (and the much more extreme persecution of LGBT in other countries is one of them). But here, at home, no group of people risk more just by loving someone and wanting to let people know about it.
I have heard of stories about people getting jumped, beaten up, cussed out, berated, having their things broken, even killed – for loving someone. Yet, they stand strong and continue to fight the good fight, they haven’t hidden, they have stood for their beliefs. When is the last time you have had to do that? … and at the risk of a serious ass kicking by a couple of bigots in a back alley? For many of us, never. Think about that for a minute.
That also leads to why I love them so much and want to know their lives, who and what they are. Most of the LGBT people I know have amazing character. Not because they are LGBT, but because they have the strength of character to be open about a belief, one they believe in enough to be persecuted for it. I don’t want to hang out with them because of their sexual preference, I want to hang out with them because they are fighting a bigger fight than I will probably ever have to in my life for anything I believe in… and that is pretty damn admirable.
Why wouldn’t you want to get to know someone that wakes up every day and says “Screw society, I am going to be totally true to myself today and try to change the world”? Seriously, that is all any of us can hope to do in our lifetime, and every LGBT person I know is a shining example of this.
Instead of looking down on LGBT people and this movement or pitying their plight, we should be looking at them with admiration and cheering them on. I can never take on the cause with the same conviction they do, but I firmly stand beside my LGBT friends and I commend them on what they are doing and no matter what happens, I will always admire the people they are.
If you take the time to get to know a few, I suspect you will feel the same way, at least a little bit. I don’t think hate is possible if you get to know who and what it is you are trying to hate.
Tl:dr; Don’t be an asshole, love and let love, be friends with someone LGBT and open your mind to what true character is.
If you feel otherwise please feel free to comment, but please be aware I will only entertain intelligent discussion on this or any other topic. Anything that is hateful or a baseless attack will just be deleted, I will not allow ignorance or hate to be spread through my website.