I'm 48 years of age.
Yea, I know I don't look it. I owe it all to clean living and quality beer!
The riots at The Stonewall Inn took place when I was 10 years old.
It was the day Gays in the United States said out loud, "We don't have to take this shit any more!"
Gregory Flood in his book "I'm Looking For Mr. Right, But I'll Settle For Mr. Right Away" discribed it as "The first great idea we ever had." But that was in 1969.

What great ideas have we had since? Well, for me I remember decades of living in a country where Gay folks walked down the streets of this country in fear.
What do I see today?
Gay Folks walking down the streets in fear.

Back in the 1990's a young Lesbian Rutgers University student related this story.She was walking down the street of the main campus.Suddenly she see's a straight female friend she had not seen in months. They run up to each other and hug. Talking a mile a minuet she says there's a class to attend.
So they exchange contact information.
As she walks away she says loud enough to be heard across the street, "Call me, cause I love you!" As she heads to class she see's her girl friend! What a great day this is turning out to be. They walk up to each other and shake hands. This women realized later that there was no need for her to not kiss and hug hur girl friend.
She realized she was living on automatic pilot. Fear is one reason humans are not extinct yet.Our ancestors lived in savage chaotic time.
There was little time to reason out a threat.
It was "Get your hairy neanderthal ass away from the saber tooth bear NOW!!!"
Over time they developed leasure time to perfect there technology, tell stories, and develope a human culture.

OK, now before I go any further you need to know why what I am about to relate is not a message you hear much.

It's in part because a substantial number of Gay Men of my generation are dead. AIDS took out of this world Men and Gay Women who would be thrilled to be living in these times. They would think back on the way things were in the 1940's, 1950's and 1960's. When I wake up and see that I am not strapped to a table about to have my testicles cut off I think, Damn! This is the start to a good day!"
OK, Now my point.

It's OK to be afraid from time to time.It means you are awake.
But if your fear is an irrational terror that prevents you from expressing
your positive power in the world then the effect is a more fearfull world.
It's when Gay Folks before and after Stonewall found them selves fearing
less that they expressed that fearlessness in the cival rights and feminist movements.
The fearless are compassionate.The fearless are changing the world for the better as you read this.
Closeted or "Out" you are free when you are fearless.

But what to do when your feeling fearless?

One option is to look inward and find what is important to you.
Back in the 1980's Right Wing activists talked about the Gay Agenda.
The responce from "Queer" activists was out rage."How dare they think we are plotting to recruit children."My response was "Gay Agenda? I Wish!"

Since the Bisexual Gay Male, Lesbian, and Trans Communities are so diverse what kind of agenda can we agree on?
How about less suffering in general in the world?
Simple, to the point and geared to helping every one who suffers.
It can get complicated on some issues.
But if we look to each of the communities giving to there members the respect we expect in return then I believe a concensus can be reached.

I vollenteer at WBAI 99.5 fm where they have a
Gay radio program called Out-FM. I set up a My Space page for them and post stuff on there BLOG.

There web site is www.outfm.org.

Check em out and think about what matters to you.
Then embrace that.
As a citizen of the United States you have an awcome power to make things better for others.

Perhaps you can inspire others to be less fearfull.


Pedro Angel Serrano