No More to Suffer in Silence

I don't understand terrorism. It is unimagineable to me to kill people who simply live life in a different fashion than one's own. As a child I was teased and ridiculed by neighborhood bullies because they perceived me to be gay. Granted, they were correct in their assumption. I could never figure out what it was I had said or done that would make them treat me with such disdain and disgust. I minded my own business when I walked to school, but that did not stop them from yelling, "FAG!" at me. I avoided their kingdom of the ballfield in order to become a musician but they sought me out to let me know that I was a "band geek FAG" every chance they could find. I excelled at my school work and thus avoided being in classes with most of these yahoos but once outside the walls of the classroom I was ridiculed, jeered at, called names, and threatened. I do not know how I managed to survive those days because I cannot recall one person ever stepping forward to my defense. I only know that when the going got tough, I took a deep breath, said a little prayer, and walked on believing that a time would come when I would not have to face such hatred.
Those days are far behind me now but the world is still a place filled with ignorance, hatred, bigotry, and misunderstanding. We live in a country with a president who wants to change the Constitution of this country to limit our individual liberties. A man so convinced he has been divinely sent to lead us that he has arrogantly led us into a religious war domestically and abroad. Innocent people were killed in London this past week because someone else believes in their divine right to determine the fate of mankind. The world seems to be spinning out of control which is probably why I was so moved today at a rally for gay marriage in New Jersey. Held in the parish hall of an Episicopal church, the place was filled with gay and lesbian families who believe we all have the human right to marry the person we love. In these sometimes frightening days of the 21st century, to see the innocent faces on the children of those couples today made me wonder what their world is like. What voices do they hear as they walk to school? Are they called hate-filled names or are they called upon to round out a pick-up game of softball? And how do they respond?
I know I for one can no longer be shamed into silence by the bullies of this world. Just as London and New York have vowed to stand proud against the terrorists. I, too, refuse to allow some ignorant yahoo to tell me I am not deserving of the same rights as my neighbors and friends.