LGBTQ Allies - Recognition and Thanks

[Nat]

My straight friend Suzanne is awesome. She goes to an LGBTQ-embracing church, she walks in AIDS walks despite ankle problems, she's going to Pride next week, she is the person who told me about the Queer the Census stickers and she also mentioned how happy she was there was a box for "ally" on those stickers, so she has an opportunity to participate. She does all that and more just because she's great, just because it's part of her value system, just because she's a thoughtful, ethics-driven person who wants to live in a just, fair and accepting world. I think she was originally inspired by getting to know her gay uncle, and it's such a relief to know she has my back and it's not personal so much as it's just who she is. I wish there were more people in the world like her.

Yesterday, I was totally enjoying poetry slam poetry on youtube, and I ran into Alvin Lau's "Full Moon" which I actually got to hear live a few years back at the International Poetry Slam here in Austin. It's a poem about his sister's wedding to another woman, and it made me think:

I am so thankful for our allies.

...my mom always told us that everyone is entitled to their opinion.
I can think what I want, and you can think what you want,
but that doesn't keep me from being right and you from being fucking wrong
because anyone who thinks that my sister can't live freely can go straight to hell
Do not pass purgatory, to not collect alterna-salvation
....
I wanna be able to wipe away my sister's tears
with a copy of the Constitution that doesn't take away her right to say "I do"
I wanna be able to read this poem anytime, anywhere
without having to worry about homophobic judgment from all of you...

Thank you Suzanne. Thank you Alvin Lau.