Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Speaking Out - A Correction - Exposing the Family Spectrum


Dear Reader,

I should clarify a few things I neglected to include in my last post. When I came out of my advocacy closet there were family members who were right by my side. Some telling me privately they fully supported LGBT equality and some, like two of my straight sisters who made their support public. (The sister referenced in the last post sent an email to the family after the November election supporting LGBT equality. My other sister seen to the right is known as San Diego's Fabulous Fruit Fly, always ready and waiting to flit to the front lines to fight for LGBT rights. Here she is seen marching along side the 2008 LGBT Pride parade in San Diego.)

My family is a mixture like any other. There are those who understand why fighting for LGBT equality is vital for social advancement and will get out there often to march with their LGBT family members. There are those family members who will do an occasional activity to show their support and shake up the system. There are those who will privately tell you, 'I'm proud of you. You're doing the right thing' but who won't let others know of their support. There are those who politely disagree. And there are those who will go to hurtful and unreasonable lengths to avoid dealing with the fact they are discriminating against one of their own.

Fortunate for me, none of my family are on the saddest end of the spectrum. None of them have disowned me. Maybe I have done more of the disowning of those most unwilling to hear my pleas because I can't stomach the feeling of being around family members who really don't get how their actions are hurting one of their own.

Maybe at that time later in life when my dissenting family members need me the most I will soften my animosity towards their hate and discrimination. When I see a loved one fighting for their life maybe I'll bend under the hopes that if I am caring and loving in their final days they will finally say 'I'm sorry I voted against your equal rights. I was wrong.' Maybe when they are breathing their last breath they will see we are all just trying to do the same thing on this planet - live and let live.

Thanks for reading.

Alan L. Bounville