DON'T TAKE THINGS SO PERSONAL

DON'T TAKE THINGS SO PERSONAL...

Have you ever been called a faggot to your face? I have. Many times. 

Have you ever been called a nigger to your face? I have. Many times.

Have you ever been told not to speak a language other than English in public? I have. Many times.

Have you ever been fired from a job because of your sexuality or denied a job because of your race? I have. Many times.

Have you been beaten or attacked because of your race or sexuality as others watched and did nothing? I have. Many times.

Have you ever experienced racism in a class room or when trying to get into College? I have. Many times.

Have you ever been mistaken for a maid just because you're Mexican? My Mother has. Many times. 

Have you been called "Uppity" or accused of "Not knowing your place" because you are competent at your job and question authority when that authority crosses an ethical or legal line? I have. Many times.

I mentally re-live the above mentioned events of my life and countless others at least a hundred times a day. Even more now since Trump took office.

Anyone and everyone that knows me, knows that I'm not a militant. I just take things seriously because I lived through and survived alot. In fact, I still am surviving through alot and I am cognizant of the fact, that I always will.

So, I take race, racism and homophobia seriously. I work hard not to be bitter, jaded or hateful. I fight for others just as passionately as I would for myself. 

Even though some of my friends may not be able to relate to my experiences and what I live through, we all have a notion of what is right and what is wrong. 

That's as good a place as any to start making a difference. Not just for others but for yourself, too, because when others are being oppressed and their rights taken away, it's just a matter of time before yours are threatened. 

I find dispassionate discourse difficult to engage in when you have a social, governmental and institutionalized racist and homophobic boot already on your neck. 

So yeah, I do take things personal. 

(By the way, I have fucking amazing friends who love and accept all of me, as I am. I love them for that. They are like  family.)