It amazes me the silence.




I was in my 20s in Fort Lauderdale and coming to terms with being a gay male in a society that was slowly accepting gay people.  At a time when HIV and AIDs was a death sentence, and people were afraid of just standing close to others like me.  It was a gay bar or two that made me realize I was not alone.  One of my favorites was the Hideaway.  As the name connotates, it was hidden. You had to know where it was. In those days, there were several gay bars in Fort Lauderdale, but they were all quite hidden as I look back.  You had to know where they were.


What were they? They were places for gay people to be together and, yes feel safe. Today, in Fort Lauderdale, no more Hideaways as the gay bars are all "out," and many are on the strip of Wilton Manors.  Gay people, straight people, and people of all kinds enjoy hanging out and openly enjoying each other's company.  If you have ever been to Wilton Manors for Halloween or a Pride parade, you would think the world is a tolerant mixing pot of all, and love is love.


That said, when I look at the shooting in Colorado, the one in Orlando a few years back, and the recent FIFA ruling that soccer players can not wear an armband to show their solidarity with the gay community, I wonder, are we safer today?  Were we better off hiding in the dark? 


I look around on Facebook, and I hear and see mostly silence.  I see plenty of posts on other kinds of discrimination and threats to other communities, but I don't see much concern with regard to the REAL threat to gay people.  People died, were shot, and were injured for being nothing more or less but being like me, and yes, it could have been me.  Many, like I was some years ago scared, coming out of the closet.  Maybe a young gay male was walking into his first gay bar for the first time because he perceived it to be safe.


It is more than a bit frightening to realize that just because of who I love, there are people who believe I should be shot to death. The rhetoric continues from religious and political institutions that the ills in the world are because of who I love.  I have seen hatred and prejudice.  Sometimes you can just feel it in the room. You know people are staring at you. Or, the hate comes at you from the news, newspapers, or through the global community of social media.


"Love the sinner, hate the sin" How do they know what that sin is anyway? Shouldn't hate that ends up encouraging others to violence and discrimination be the real sin and not who I love? I feel safe in a peaceful town in, yes, East Texas, or maybe I should be afraid?


Whatever we do, and as the younger generations come forward, may we decide that love should conquer all.  The religious will trust their G-d and not feel they need to judge.  We will learn to celebrate, learn from, and love those around us who are different and that those like me won’t have to feel unsafe in any place because of who we love.

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