I’m putting off a promised rant about the huge event I went to last night in celebration of working women (which included, among other things, a hot legs contest… we’ve come a long way, baby) in order to speak up about something much more near and dear to me.
It’s the National Day of Silence today. A day when everyone, regardless of any personal beliefs about whether or not homosexuality is right or wrong in the eyes of God, is encouraged to consider for one single day what it feels like to be forced not to speak when others are free to do so. I think we all agree that it is simply not tolerable for a society founded on a belief in civil liberty and personal freedoms to selectively practice hatred and dehumanization towards the actions or feelings of a group of people just because they believe that what they do is wrong.
I would hope that we all recognize the simple truth that some people (middle school students, members of the military, etc..) must hide who they are in order to protect their careers and/or their overall ability to live a life free from physical or verbal abuse. And this is wrong.
What are you doing to celebrate this year? I’m blogging, and I’m staying silent at work insofar as I can. I’m also writing my congressional representatives to let them know how I feel about Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell. I encourage everyone to do the same. Today, not tomorrow, because some things just shouldn’t wait.
Wouldn’t it be great if in 2010, we supported our troops by letting them come home to be greeted by the ones they loved, regardless of gender or sexual orientation?
Respectfully silent, hoping for that day…
Kem
