"To be, or not to be--"

The question as to whether gay is passe' or not would be wonderful if it was that easy. As I read The situation described by 'rae121452' in his blog, "Is Gay Paeeé" I feel asks a different greater question and therefore, here, a different blog. The question I see is: Are the younger generational gays complacent about gay issues? When I was 22, I knew no men in drag. It was that small group at the The Stonewall Inn, West Village in New York that were the flash-point that became the seed recognizing an unjustice:

HAMLET: "To be, or not to be--that is the question:
Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune
Or to take arms against a sea of troubles
And by opposing end them...."
JULIUS CAESAR ...A coward dies a thousand deaths, the brave die but once."

We all learned this in high-school literature. This is an old story that has been repeated and repeated and repeated. Each time between, however it has been forgotten or at least ignored. It was the men in drag on June 28, 1969 who took "(take) arms against a sea of troubles." It was we fortunate ones who were clear enough to understand the event, and who took up arms and follow their lead. A mind shift had to be enacted by us to recognize that our 'accepted life' was no life at all. We too were complacent previously. It was hard then and it is still hard and not nearly over- here, over forty years following in the U.S.A. and other places. This is true for our black siblings as noted by 'everysooften's' response. Things have changed after the 1961 Freedom Riders that sparked the Montgomery riots. No, their state of continual opposition is not over yet either... or the Indian rights, or Jewish rights, or Islamic rights, etc., or, and truly inconceivably, Women's rights.

Before participating in the Gay Games in Amsterdam along with my Spouse, we stayed at a gay owned inn in Reykjavik, the capital of Iceland for a week. As typical gay Americans we asked where we should go to find the gay bars? The inn's owner said, "Oh, that's right, Americans... Well, we have gay owned bars, but everyone goes to whatever bar they wish, gay or straight." We almost wept at the simplicity at which it was said.

The objective is not to be special because we belong to a group, but for each group to be recognized, respected, understood, and accepted as 'E Pluribus Unum' (Many uniting into one. An accurate translation of the motto is "Out of many, one"). That is the U.S.A. motto... That is the current U.S.A. lie.

We hear so much about the 'Founding Fathers' and their 'Great Experiment.' In the most simple of terms it is this: "All humans are inherently self-serving individuals. As a society, however we could and should make each individual better through legal equality guidelines." When an experiment is carried through we must analyze it and calculate the findings to see how much is true and how much is false. This is in order to adjust for the next step of undertaking to get even closer to the real truth. The current adjustment to the experiment developing on ballot initiatives asks the question: Can limiting the rights of a group or groups fit the 'immortal declaration' ie: "All men are created equal?"

The 22 year old man who worsk with 'rae121452' is more of the "whatever" group of LGBT people who have been born into and accept the "The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune" as what is normal... as we had done before 1969. They have not defined themselves as yet... as there was a time when we 'knew who we were, but we really didn't.' We must have pride in our special group and protect it, however not to totally define oneself as a member of 'a group.' Instead, each of us should be a fully defined individual made from all his parts: sex, sexual orientation, other orientations, race, hight, books, food, art. "if love were all, I would be lonely," N Coward)," If gay were all I would be sad and tedious. The first commandment is universal, "There shall be no other God before ME," Exodus 20:3 and the name of God is "I am who I am" Exodus 3:14.

Support the 22 year olds. Tell them your story. Tell them the history. Show them that choices made or not made have repercussions, that a lack of action today will cause greater and harder reactions tomorrow. All we can do is be a good example and try to ease their falls and to help them learn. We have a new group, our gays in the military. Today, we must especially be there for them.