Image found on http://8tracks.com/melinaleigh/lgbt-3
Let me start by saying that I am most emphatically a straight man, and that I love women! And then I’d like to immediately follow up with this question. Why is it that I’ve always felt compelled to say this so enthusiastically when talking on the subject of LGBT issues? Well, I suspect that it comes from this deeply ingrained habit of immediately associating LGBT with the physical act of sex. And on top of that, this equally deep seated shame that has been hammered into my brain. The idea that sex with any human other than the most surface level pretty woman is somehow repulsive. These thoughts that have been so deeply ingrained into my mind, seem rather ludicrous to me at this point.
I would like to express my wholehearted gratitude and love to the LGBT community for what you have done for me, and for countless others like me. What you have achieved in recent years is nothing short of brilliant. You have managed to take the issue and frame it in a completely different way. And this change has taken you such a long time to achieve. It has taken years of dedication and steadfast determination to make this shift take place. Over the course of decades, you have managed to frame this conversation around LOVE instead of SEX. I absolutely LOVE you for this.
When I see the acronym LGBT, or the words that make up its parts, I no longer visualize a sex act or the parts one uses for sex. Instead, I envision love in all its forms. I picture love and its boundlessness. A love that crosses all the arbitrary boundaries that society inflicts upon our brains.
The transformation of how the discussion is framed, and in how I personally respond emotionally when presented by LGBT issues is immense. The transformation has enriched my life far beyond the important issues of your community. The relationships that I have with others have benefited tremendously. Such a powerful thing, when one realizes that they can hold the same level of love for everyone, regardless of their gender or preference of. When this realization truly sinks in, one can see how their previous definition and understanding of what love is, was shallow and wanting.
It is love that begins to infect us instead of the false boundaries set by others. When I look around, I see far more beauty than I ever have in the past. Those shallow determinations of what society (or media) deems as beautiful begin to fade away when you truly open up this way. Everything holds beauty now.
I hereby emphatically state my desire and determination to stop prefacing my discussions on this topic with the words “I am straight”, or “I love women”. In fact, it felt odd to do so with this post, and I do it only to make the point that I’m truly finished with such nonsense. Because I love men too. I simply love. There need not be any disclaimer, condition, or stipulation on my love for others.
With Much Love
Richard Powell
Well said Rich!!