National Coming Out Day

When I first heard the genius idea of proposing an amendment to the U.S. Constitution defining marriage as between a man and woman only, I instantly had an image in my mind of a bunch of busy-body old women gossiping and pointing fingers at their neighbors because they were sad, tired people.

I didn't believe this was a serious notion.

To some however, this is very serious. How else can you explain the huge split in our country between those who are pro-gay rights and those who are not? Therefore, as the twentieth anniversary of National Coming-Out Day is celebrated this Oct. 11, I strongly encourage everyone to put aside whatever objections you have to homosexuality (if you have any) and develop some form of empathy.

One of the best things I was taught as a child by my mom was to be tolerant of others. I guess I have always believed it was only natural for others to be tolerant as well. Sadly, this is not always the case.

Even though I have grown up to believe that gender, race, or sexual orientation doesn't matter, apparently not everyone grew up with this frame of mind.

Everyone, whether because of race, gender, age or income, has faced some sort of barrier. However, it seems that sexism and racism are considered wrong, but homophobia is not.

Is it somehow allowed for people to be homophobic?

Call me a bleeding heart liberal if you'd like, but life can be hard enough without the judgment of others, over an issue such as a woman loving another woman. With the economy in the drain, natural disasters like Hurricane Ike and Rita happening left and right, I would love for our society's biggest problem to be homosexuality.

I hope that people who are scared to come out because they fear the judgment of others will cause them to lose their jobs and other hardships, realize that they are not alone.

National Coming-Out Day was designed with just this issue in mind.

On a local level, ACC has an organization on the Rio Grande Campus, called gAy to Z, whose purpose is to "promote safety, awareness, education, and to act as a resource for GLBTQS students. We are committed to all people courageously being who they are."

Gay, straight, purple, or black, seriously, people, let's pull it together. If it's not one minority group, it's another. Let's all quit the finger-pointing and fold our hands in the common prayer that one day we will all realize that tolerance shouldn't just be graciously handed out to some, but to all.