it gets better...

today is national coming out day.  http://www.hrc.org/ncod/ .  an internationally observed day in which gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people are encouraged to "take the next step" in coming out.   the idea is that we can beat homophobia by putting a face on queerness and making others understand that we are your daughters, sons, moms, dad, friends, coworkers, neighbors, leaders and on and on and on.

the past two weeks have been very hard on the queer community.   there has been a rash of gay suicides (and even non-gay suicides) due to bullying.  it has to stop.  as parents we all need to teach our children that it is NOT ok to be the loud bully or even the complacent silent bully by watching this happen.

i encourage all those out there who are not queer to "take the next step" in acceptance.   give your child who you know is "different" the resources he or she needs to feel safe and find others like him or her.   give your kid's friend who you *know* is gay an extra hug today and let them know that your home is always safe for them.   go up to the queer co-worker who for some reason when everyone else is talking about their hot dates and spouses on monday morning says they "just watched tv" or "did stuff around the house" how their partner is.  let them know that you are an ally and that you will help make work a safe and enjoyable environment for them.   everyone says they are cool with gayness.  it is very chic, afterall.   but how far will you go?  i commend you for your ability to be 100% committed to equal rights not just legally, but also through societal and cultural behavior -- for all.

in honor of coming out day i put together a video for the It Gets Better Project.  Read all about it here:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/It_Gets_Better and visit it here: http://www.youtube.com/user/itgetsbetterproject  .

here is my video:



(it is showing on my screen with my finger in my ear at the clip....nice...lol)