It gets better. Better than what, I wonder. Better than being afraid of who you are?

Better than the constant lies? Lies to yourself, your loved ones, everyone. Better than the daily torment brought on by nothing more than your own differentness? Better than cutting yourself just so you can control your feelings, if only for a split second? Better than the alienation that consumes your every day and every thought? Yeah, sometimes it gets better. But lets be realistic, a lot of the times it doesnt. Even when it gets better our lives are far from perfect. I hear the complacent and blinded chorus repeat their justifications over and over But perfect doesnt exist for anyone; youre asking for impossible things. But what they fail to see if that we are not asking for perfection. Those of us cast aside for our otherness, our race, religion, sexuality, gender, etc. etc. etc. know all too well that perfection doesnt exist. But the difference between them and us Us the outsiders Us the nave idealists Us the hopeful

Is that WE believe that just because something has been the same way for so long does not give it more worth. WE choose understanding and openness over archaic tradition and color blindness. WE choose to fight for change, big and small, and remain hopeful not because a politician told us to but because if we dont, we fail to exist outside the labels, stereotypes, and bold-faced lies that our neighbors, our parishes, our familiesour judges, cast upon us. What we want not judgment. Nor is it salvation or the sweeping generalizations of the ignorant and uninformed. NO. What we NEED is a chance. A chance to be ourselves, to live openly and honestly without the fear of exposure to a world unprepared to accept or understand us. We need to be seen as individuals, humans. We dont want to be considered just like everyone else- that blindness to difference leads to more hate and ignorance than you know. We ARE different. Every last one of us is. So why does our society continue to fight so hard against it, why does it fear differences that are inevitable and as natural as the sun instead of embracing them? Our history is full of peoples fighting for the right to be equal, to be protected by the same laws as their brothers and sisters and to pursue their own happiness. It is not full of people who want to blend in, but rather, with people who know their differences are fires too full of potential and inspiration to be extinguished by those who fear them. We live in a society where parents, teachers, and pastors encourage the young to hate and push their ignorance upon others, where school kids spit venom in the form of slurs, fists, and rumors infecting our hallways with fear and shame.

We see the words fag, fairy homo etched with permanent marker on the fronts of lockers and doorways. We hear dyke when we hang out with friends, stupidly expecting to have a day free from harassment. We taste the bitterness of choking down our own words and feelings all too frequently. We smell the stench of the city streets, our new homes because our families threw us out before we were old enough to drive or eat off the adults menu at Dennys. We feel the sting of not only fists on our already bruised faces, but of others accusations and misinformation. Gays want to molest and rape our children. Lesbians just need a good man to set them straight. Bi folks are confused. Trans folks, well lets be real most people cant even be bothered to come up with a hefty accusation because they cant get by their disgust or fear of people who dare to question the sex god made them. The society weve created, or failed to stop, has become toxic, a deadly disease that feeds off of fear and complacency. Martin Luther King Jr. once wrote that Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly. We the outsiders, the judged, the different are a community. We are one. What happens to one of us becomes the responsibility of all of us. It wont get better until WE MAKE it better.

We owe it to ourselves. We owe it to the younger generations caught victim to a society we failed to make better. We owe it to the generations ahead of us to enlighten them, to show them the truth of who we, the different, actually are. I believe that though it shouldnt be expected of us to out ourselves for other peoples comfort, that Harvey Milk had the right ideawe have to come out to once and for all, break down the myths, destroy the lies and distortions and make things better. There is strength in numbers. Real change starts with one person opening up to another and from there it spreads like wildfire. And so I stand here today sounding angry and frustrated but also hopefulI stand here today opening up to you in hopes that together we can make it better for even a few GLBT kids. My name is Emily Rence. Im a teacher, a student, a youth worker, a daughter, sister, cousin, and fianc. I love to play softball, to write and to sing epic ballads in the shower. I believe in the goodness of people and have been accused of being idealistic more than once. My family and friends have been the people in my life whove made it better for me and for that I am eternally grateful. I am engaged to an incredible woman who makes each and every day a new and exciting adventure in the story of our life together. And I am a lesbian. Now, its your turn. Spread the fire