think about it by william e. kelly


ARE WE TO RETURN TO OUR CLOSETS?


I will not quietly retreat to the dank, dark, dehuman- izing closet I was once


forced to live in. Hidden there because I loved a person of the same sex.”


Those who follow my words, know that I am


a pacifist by nature who respects and accepts diversity as a reality of life. But, the fallout of and since the 2016 elections has awakened the instinctual survivor in me. I believe this is also the case, for an alarming abundance of those from the many walks of life living in our nation. Yes, that is right, alarming! Be we immigrants, refugees and/ or citizens, our nation is so fractured that we are seemingly at war with each other. After the very divisive elections, I sought higher,


more hopeful ground. I wrote that we all needed to recharge the batteries to keep the compassion in our hearts pumping, our souls at peace and our heightened emotions calmed, by our mutual ability to lead and be led with reasoned respect and understanding. Today, my tone is less hopeful and much more defensive. President-elect Trump’s actions and words during the election left little room for doubt of his intentions. Now sworn in as President of this nation and leader of the free world, his appoint- ments have removed any doubt he is solidifying his obvious, deep contempt for immigrants, people of color, women and any persons not of his obscenely wealthy, white, heterosexual male, egotistical and tyrannical ilk. I won’t bore the informed, or those who believe themselves informed, nor try to convince the less informed that my views are right or theirs are not. It is far too late for that. Only when reality sets in


46 RAGE monthly | FEBRUARY 2017


will we all know who most correctly assessed the political future of this nation under President Trump and his overwhelmingly conservative and often fanatical, far-right government. I am a white, natural-born, fourth generation American and a gay male. Like every American, except the indigenous American Indian people, I am a descendant of immigrants and refugees from other nations. I am not qualified, nor would I dare to tell our female citizens, people of color, heterosexual citizens or more recent immigrants and refugees, what lies ahead or what to do. What I can do, is express what is seen through this gay senior’s eyes. In the context of their historical rhetoric and actions, President Trump and his appointments represent a formidable, adversarial government that is not going to reach out to the LGBT community. To me, it is a call to survival, requiring all hands to be on deck, young and old, long denied the hard-won freedoms and opportunities afforded our heterosexual counterparts. We must stand shoulder to shoulder. Millions of lives have been stolen and too much


love, life and humanity have been ravaged to turn back the clock. In our youth, old duffs like me learned the hard way what it means to live in a homophobic, heterosexual, white, male-dominated world in which conformity was rewarded and diversity was forbidden…And punished without compassion. It has taken decades and the lives and sacrifices of millions of men and women to


organize, fight for and win civil and human rights. Those victories were not just won by and for


gay citizens, but by and for all men and women of the inherently, naturally diverse, United States of America. I speak only of the younger generations within the LGBT community when I ask if we have prepared them to hold the line. Our more aware youth and organizations such as Lambda Archives, fill in the blanks of lives long forgotten in a homo- phobic existence—those seniors who survived to tell their terrifying and often horrific stories that helped reverse a shameful history —which now I believe, we are in danger of repeating. Whether we as LGBT citizens, are united enough to hold the ground collectively won by those who came before us, remains to be seen. The demagogues and tyrants of history have proven soundly to pacifists like me, that words alone will not suffice to counter the rhetoric, actions and political appointments of leaders such as President Donald Trump. Be assured, this pacifist is old, tired and thought


by some...to be naively hopeful. But, if the hard- core, socially and culturally fanatic right wants a fight…I will not back away. I will not quietly retreat to the dark, dehumanizing closet, I was once forced to live in. Hidden there, because I loved a person of the same sex.


Will You? Just Think About It!


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