You know, Withers, most legislation, laws, legal interpretations, etc. are not “sexy” and drama is a matter of affectation. I can’t tell you how emotional I was over the potential passage of the Matthew Shepard Act. Is it “sexy” legislation? Ha! That idea would make me laugh if it weren’t so patently sick! The wording of the bill itself makes ME yawn, and I’m actually interested in it! Makes me wonder what a “dramatic, sexy, exciting” move by the Obama Admin might look like… because beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

What will it take to make you people happy? Being counted isn’t enough, or maybe it’s some measure akin to counting Jews pre-Third Reich, right? Give me a freaking break! Every time President Obama or some other member/agency of the government makes an effort at extending a hand, it seems to me that all the gay “community” can do is slap that hand and say, “No! Not good enough! Take it away and make it again, but make it BETTER this time!” This isn’t a practical or reasoned approach to obtaining legal equality. You don’t gain anything by refusing what is being offered. In a battle for legal equality, no matter what group we happen to be discussing, every little bit counts. The key is to not stop with the little bits. And last I checked, NO ONE in national or local GLBT movements is saying that we should *settle* for ANY “little bits.”

Additionally, what benefit does labeling oneself as G, L, B, or T have for any of us? I might be G and T, but that’s hardly the extent of my personhood. My G or T status does not ultimately change the fact that I require food, water, shelter, clothing, and community. In wanting to be acknowledged for who and what we are, we are also demanding to be segregated, we are segregating ourselves from the rest of society by vehemently insisting upon being either Us or The Other. The choices are more than merely being exemplified or being vilified. I’ve been vilified long enough for my GLBT status, and I’ve no interest in being exemplified for it. Why? Because I’m a human being above and beyond my sexual preference or gender identity, and *that* is what I take pride in. What about the rest of the GLBT “community?” What humanity is there in this group? I think there are questions every self-identified GLBT person needs to ask themselves: Am I looking to be treated as a GLBT rep or as a human being? What influence does my GLBT status have on my life and decision-making process?

If we want to normalize trans or homosexuality, we need to stop elevating our status above that of the “other.” We need to drop our Pride-with-a-capital-P rhetoric because it implies that we view ourselves as superior to non-GLBT persons. We need to engage in national discussions and debates, and we must be willing to compromise; compromise takes two sides and as much as we all hate to admit this, we will NEVER have legal equality in America without the assistance and allegiance of non-GLBT people. As much as we must take our equality, it must also be given to us. So let us behave as though we deserve such acknowledgment. Let us thank the Obama Administration for its attempts at outreach and state our intent to keep fighting for more. Let us be grateful and persistent at the same time. Anything less will ensure that inequality remains a legal mandate in this country.