- Arts
- Indoor Marquee Parties In Worcester
- Choose A Celebrated Movie With Just One Click To See Tonight
- Downloading Karaoke Files From The Internet - Music Songs
- Automotive
- Purchasing Tires Online
- Have You Purchased Yours Yet? Your Hybrid Car!
- What Makes Pocket Bikes A Favorite Among Both Kids And Adults?
- Business to Business
- Burn Wii Games Successfully
- How a Merchant Account Can Boost Your Business
- New York Printing Services At A Glance
- Computers and Electronics
- Computer Memory Problems
- Time For A New Career Consider JavaScript Training
- See The Novel Fun That You Get From Puzzle Games
- Dating Matchmaking
- How To Know If He Is The One Or Not - Steps To Consider
- How Can You Win Your Ex Back? 3 Surefire Tricks to Get Back With Your Ex
- Does He Have A Crush On Me? Discover The New Ways
- Education and Employment
- Is It Always A Good Idea To Go To College?
- Software for the Deaf for Families with Deaf Members
- Explore Atlanta Commercial Real Estate
- Entertainment
- Lightweight Headphone - Choosing The Best Lightweight Headphones
- 4 Reliable Tips for Handling Twilight Party Disasters
- Fate Stay Night the New Anime TV Series is Soon to Be Released, But Will Everyone Like It?
- Family and Community
- Divorce - A New Rite of Passage for the 21st Century
- Ultimate Sales Guide
- Top Tips For Saving Money When Booking Holidays Abroad
- Health and Personal Care
- How To Really Take Care of Eczema!
- Causes of UTI
- Choosing the Best Water Filters System in Your House
- Home and Garden
- Do Conventionally Purchased Power Tools Last Longer Or Out Perform Factory Reconditioned Power Tools
- The 3 Most Important Factors to Compare When Selecting Kitchen Cabinets
- How To Choose The Best Electric Blankets
- Legal and Financial Services
- Looking At The Debt Settlement Act
- Tax Lien Foreclosure Properties: Tips And Strategies The Successful Investor Needs To Know
- Can You Make Money With Interest?
- Networking
- Network Marketing Could be the Key to Success in a Sluggish Economy
- Great Ways to Boost Sales
- Pets
- Understanding Why Dogs Fight With Each Other
- Your Aged Pet Need Pain Relief For Dogs
- Your New Pet Guinea Pig - What You'll Need to Take Care of It
- Real Estate and Rentals
- Selling a Home Read This Helpful Information
- Contractor Shopping: Picking The Right One For Your Washington DC Investment Property
- Benidorm Is The Vacation Capital Of Spain
- Shopping and Specialty Stores
- Book a Wholesale Fashion Jewelry Date With a Special Little Lady Called CZ!
- Men's Earrings - The Symbol Of Toughness And Audacity
- Hawaiian Tiki Gifts
- Sports and Recreation
- Brett Favre Off to a Hot Start With The Minnesota Vikings
- The Best Fishing Lures To Trap The Fish
- CQB Tactics In Airsoft
- Travel and Transportation
- The Best Luxor Egypt Hotels
- Save Money On an Orlando Vacation
- A Cruise To Nowhere From New York
Stonewall 40th Anniversary
By Howie Holben Published: 01/13/2010
Forty years ago this June, the Stonewall Riots happened in New York City. Police raided a bar in New York City's Greenwich Village named the Stonewall Inn. Homosexual gathering place raids were common in the 1950's and 1960's and persecution of homosexuals were a fact of the times.
The police got quite a surprise when they raided the Stonewall Inn on June 27, 1969. This time instead of just running or hiding, the patrons of the bar, joined by many others, stood their ground. Standing outside the bar, the crowd began yelling and soon began throwing bottles and trash cans at the police. The Stonewall Riots have become known as the first time gay people fought back as a group against their persecution.
Several people were arrested, some were injured and some police were also hurt. The riots were repeated the next night with even a larger number of people participating in the revolt. The Riot Squad needed to be called in to bring it to an end; the Gay Rights movement had begun.
In the years since the Stonewall Riots, the LGBT community has come a tremendous distance in the fight for our equal rights and acceptance. We have fought hard to become accepted by, and even welcomed into, our neighborhoods. We have spent years showing the world that we are no different than anyone else. And the efforts have paid off immensely.
We are now represented, mostly positively, on TV shows and in movies. We have almost come to expect there to be (http://www.spiritjourneys.com) gay couples in a new TV show or in a movie. Domestic partners are now recognized at many companies and cities. At the state level, domestic partners, civil unions and even marriage has been legalized. Advertisers now direct marketing directly to the LGBT community.
This does not mean that our work for acceptance is at an end. Homophobia still exists not only in the United States, but also in countries all over the planet. Gay teenagers still kill themselves and gay hate crimes are even on the rise. We still have ignorance and hatred to overcome.
We have made great efforts to be accepted and to show the world that we are no different than anyone else. But the fact is we were Created different from most other people and in our Creation we were given talents and gifts to offer the world. Let us not hide these talents and gifts.
Being gay, we walk between the worlds of typical male or female gender roles. We are more keenly aware of both our masculine and feminine attributes. This awareness allows us to more easily see, and be open to, many aspects of life that others cannot see. Thus, many of us are known as being unifiers; people with the ability to bridge gaps between others and heal relationships of all kinds. Walking between worlds can also make us more receptive to the "unseen" things in life and we become healers and shamans.
We are known to be intensely creative and many of us are involved in the arts. We are musicians, dancers, poets, singers, teachers, painters, song writers, actors, and yes, hair stylists and fashion designers! We are also world class athletes and Nobel Prize scientists. There seems to be an innate need in us to "give back", to help others and in general make the world a better place for everyone.
I love the following quote from Marianne Williamson. Even though it is not directly addressed to the gay community, I think it speaks deeply to the gay experience of hiding ourselves and our gifts from the world:
"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented and fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There's nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others."
So, let us acknowledge and celebrate our differences. Every person on this earth is different; there are no two of us that are exactly alike. All people, gay and straight, and no matter what skin color or religious beliefs, have been given talents and gifts unique to them. Let us all shine together. - 28385