On Today Of All Days: A letter to LGBT+ people in the wake of the Orlando shootings

On today of all days, there are some things I need you to know.

You are a remarkable, endlessly fascinating and astonishingly beautiful creation.

Every breath you take, every moment of your life is infinitely precious and you are loved more than you will ever know.

And you are entitled to fall in love with, kiss, hold hands with, marry, have babies with and grow old with whoever you like.

On today of all days, I want the many faces of prejudice to be shamed and ridiculed.

From violent hatred to “love the sinner, hate the sin”, or “I’m sorry for the victims and their families but still don’t agree with homosexuality”… 

I want every hateful word and every thinly veiled prejudice to be exposed and despised.

I want to fast-forward to the day when our descendants will look back on our ignorance in disbelief and disgust.

On today of all days, I am so sorry.

I am sorry that I have been part of a system that may have led you to believe that there is something wrong with you.

I am sorry if you have been made to feel guilty for being who you are.

I am sorry if my ignorance and inaction have directly or indirectly led to your suffering.

On today of all days, I want you to have a voice.

I want you to shout from the rooftops that you have as much right to life, love and happiness as anyone else. In many cases you are probably more deserving of it.

I want you to be fiercely proud of who you are.

I want you to never stop fighting for your rights and your freedom.

On today of all days, I promise to fight for you.

I promise that I will do the best I can to work for real, lasting change in our world.

I will fight on behalf of those who have already been lost to violent hatred or suicide.

And I will fight for those who right now are trapped, lonely, afraid, in danger, depressed or suicidal, so that they may be free to live and love as they were created to.

Image via Pixabay