you will have friends

who are spectrums

hiding behind

a colorless mask

red will burst

from the seams

of black

and white,

impassioned frustration

caged by fear

and self doubt

you will have sisters

who write poetry

on landscapes

of soft skin

orange will bleed

from the wounds

of right

and wrong,

cautioned desire

for the dreams

of loving her

you will have brothers

who are knights

in search

of a prince

yellow will sing

from the hearts

of sir

and sire,

royal devotion

to the hope

of being kings

you will have daughters

who are sons

and sons

who are daughters

green will sprout

from the souls

of lost

and found,

verdant discovery

on the voyage

of finding truth

you will have friends

who are colorless

hiding behind

a spectrum mask

blue will leak

from the eyes

of pain

and loss,

tranquil misery

in the guise

of painted joy

you will have people

who are soldiers

marching upon

a colorful earth

purple will bind

each fighting breath

of change

and peace,

unified hearts

in the spectrum

of equal love.

I was approaching my sophomore year when I finally internalized that I was a lesbian. My friends made this transition from a lost, questioning girl to a gender-unconcerned woman lover infinitely easier when they came out along with me. Although they do not know it, I am indebted to my friends for encouraging me to be confident in my identity. It also helps that my sexual orientation, lesbian, is recognizable whereas my friends, who are pansexual or nonbinary, have to lay the foundation of understanding with an unfamiliar vernacular. I truly wish I could help my friends overcome the homonormativity, or the idea that all those who are not heterosexual are homosexual, they constantly encounter.

I may not be gay but I support them.

I am not a woman and a lesbian but I support them.

I may not be bisexual but I support them.

I am not transgender but I support them.

We are finally coming to an age where people are more tolerable and accepting for one another. It may not always look it, but compassion is triumphing over spite. We are seeing it in big blockbuster movies such as Brokeback Mountain and Power Rangers. We are seeing it in children's animated shows such as Steven Universe and The Loud House. Even in writing, there are a couple of gay and lesbian characters in my Sins of the Father stories.

The world has come a long way since its times of hate and ignorance. Does it still exist today? Unfortunately, yes. It will always exist. But I will always be there to stand against intolerance. I will always be there to support them. 

Love is love. Love is universal.

When I was young, if your parents found out you were gay, they would often disown you, and kick you out of the house to live on the streets. If they were religious, they might send you to "Pray the Gay Away" camp to undergo aversion therapy. If they were more scientifically minded, they might send you to a mental hospital to be heavily medicated. In some instances, gays there would undergo electroshock therapy, and even lobotomies.

Now, same sex marriages are legally recognized across the entire nation and most of the civilized world. Many churches perform same sex weddings and have married gay clergy. Now, not only is homosexuality no longer classified as a mental illness, homophobia IS.

When I was young, gay celebrities had to remain in the closet, and even have pretend marriages, like Rock Hudson. Even obviously gay celebrities could not officially acknowledge they are gay.

Now, the most popular daytime talkshow host is a lesbian, and one of the most popular network news anchors is a gay man. Now, many young and trendy stars pretend to be bisexual to add to their cool factor.

Originally, neither political party supported LGBT rights. Then, the Democrats gave us lip service, mostly because they knew there was no way we were going to vote Republican. Then the Democrats started to truly fight for our rights. Now, many Republicans feel free enough to speak out in favor of LGBT equality; even while being bigoted towards other groups.

I feel proud in how far we have come in such a relatively short amount of time, from a group of drag queens in New York fighting against police brutality at the Stonewall bar, to the supreme court recognizing our equality.

I know this sounds odd, but I am even proud we have created Milo Yiannopoulos, a white gay man who has reached the point where his white privilege is greater than his gay stigma, allowing for him to be a voice for bigots everywhere. Imagine if all minorities, one by one, could be accepted by the hate groups- then they would have no one left to hate.