Yesterday I had a discussion with the writer of the email below, my point during the discussion was how you are received is largely based on how you feel about yourself.  There are going to have prejudices as long as the globe is turning.  But in 2008 the human race in general is moving in the right direction.  The most effective weapon against a group that has been oppressed is any person or persons in the group that have internalized the lies, myths and propaganda from the outside.  The Womens movement would never have advanced if women believed they should stay barefoot and pregnant or what if Rosa Parks believed she didn't have the right to keep her seat, the civil rights movement may never have happened.  One persons positive outlook, self confidence and willingness to KNOW that they are just as good and that no one is any better than they are can change the world.  My parents and grandparents generation had a saying that was used regularly during the height of the civil rights, "some black people are like crabs in a barrel, as one crab gets to the top, another crab will pull him down".  Fortunately that statement isn't as popular as it used to be, unfortuanelty it's moved to a different species of crabs.  The thing that really saddened me about the email was the death of two people was used to make a point, a sad and unfounded point.  I was not offended by the email initially I was angered, but after a few minutes I realized,  "no need to be angry, I know better".  Anger turned to sadness because it has to be sad to live with an internal voice telling you "there's something wrong with you."  I've never heard any such voices, I guess the closest would be my own voice telling me, "get your damn teeth fixed!"


EMAIL from Rick

My home town newspaper reported that two men, Scott Wiggins and Michael Compton, were murdered execution style near their home in Bryson City, North Carolina. The person who told me, my cousin, stated that one of the main reasons was due to the fact the two men were an openly gay couple.

This awful tragedy supports my argument that being gay— especially especially in rural communities—is a handicap much like being physically challenged is a disability. My heart is aching with pain as the reality of this terrible news settles knowing that Scott and Michael are lost to us forever.

What is even more disconcerting is that many in our community chose to live as though this sort of raw hatred does not exist. Moreover, they chose to wear “rose colored glasses”
probably thinking that there is nothing wrong with them and that their straight neighbor is their friend. Only in places such as New York and San Francisco can the openly gay man or woman live freely, where the gay community is the majority not the minority.

If I have offended you, I apologize. I am merely reacting to reality of what happened.

Rick