Making it better
Dear Editor:
I spoke at a small high schooler-led LGBTQ acceptance conference in rural northwest Indiana ( Vice President-elect Pence's stomping ground ) recently.
Maybe 15 or 20 people showed up at the local YMCA, half of them kids. These kids were amazingbright, out, open and alliedand wonderfully hopeful in their beliefs about the future of LGBTQ rights. Although there was hope and laughter, I find myself anxiously worried about the shy 14-year-old trans boy who told me about the issues he's facing at school when trying to use the bathroom. When he tries to talk to the counselors at his high school, they simply say they don't really know how to help. So they asked him to use the nurses' bathroom.
Dominic told me he prefers to stick to himself mostly and draw; a future animator, he said. I told him he needed to meet my friend Damon one day and read his comic strip about a gay duck. He broke a smile and said he'd like that. He told me that his classmates' hijab was pulled off her head earlier this week. Someone scrawled "Trump" on the door of the "diversity room" this week, too. His other trans friends' parents wouldn't let them come to the event, so he came alone. At one point, I encouraged him to go introduce himself to the trans woman who would be speaking later in the afternoon. Turns out he told her he had never met an "older" trans person.
About halfway through the event, he was abruptly taken out of the four-hour session by a guardian without a goodbye. "Let's go," the man said, and Dominic gathered his things and left. I'm not sure the handful of other kids noticed, but I vividly remember the lonely fear his face showed me when he got up to leave the chair next to me. It's a look that many LGBTQ adults may also remember. I don't know why Dominic had to leave, but I so hope he keeps my card and emails me or finds me on Facebook if he needs anything.
To my dear LGBTQ friends and allies living their full "YASSS" lives in big cities or small communities: This kid needs us. These kids need us. They need us volunteering. They need us taking suicide prevention hotline calls. They need us voting and advocating for their chance to make it to adulthood. They need us out and visible in rural and rust-belt small towns - even if it's just for a weekend visit. Social media and online connectedness can do a lot to show that acceptance and community exist, but a Tweet or post on Facebook is so different than saying in person, "I once had to bury how scared I was too, but it's worth it to survive."
I can't stop thinking about Dominic and knowing how not alone he actually is. I hope he knows that. Self-love can trump self-hate. Visibility forces recognition. We can do better.
Adam D. Swanson
All together now
Dear Editor:
It goes without saying that our post-election world is quite divided. That is why the Chicago Gay Men's Chorus is committed, now more than ever, to promoting its message of inclusiveness and togetherness.
When we stand together, we are stronger. When we support one another, we create safe and welcoming communities. When we sing, we create harmony. When we love one another, we continue working to create a world that is hopeful and promising.
Chicago Gay Men's Chorus is committed to raising our voices to stand against hate and discrimination. We will never be silent! We will continue raising our voices to make a joyful noise!
Chicago Gay Men's Chorus