World Peace?

What we want isn't always what we see and vice versa.

Last night I spoke with a volunteer at a local GLBT youth support program, who had some powerful words to say. We had gathered to remember a young man who occasionally put on women's clothing. One day while going out in a dress, he was killed. He had been attending her support program, and she was relating to me how much she misses people like him. They have lost 4 people to hate crimes since Bush took office.

Her comment was about her hopes that some day the organization would no longer be needed. At one point, she had thought that was about to happen. Then she said this, "When Clinton was in office, we were down to only one kid who needed our support. Then Bush came into office and our meetings became flooded with kids" Those kids are now being abused, yelled at for their gender identity or sexual orientation, verbally attacked in school (sometimes by professors, sometimes by other students) dealing with hurt over President Bush's comments about marriage, and more. I think it is so sad that a person's legacy is so much death.

5 years of war, 4000 dead soldiers, and 4 hate crimes just in one town. How many people like this young man have died that aren't being counted in the statistics of this Presidency?

The question becomes how. How can we reach a time of peace, love, and no more need for candle light vigils, peace rallies and support groups for those being attacked by others simply for existing? I think it starts one person at a time, one song at a time, one painting, one poem, one conversation, one step at a time.

My first step is in educating myself. My second step is by sharing that process with whomever wants to read it here.