Give a Damn because It Gets Better

Last night I had the privilege of sitting on a panel for an event focusing on LGBTQ life at Rutgers University. 7 panelist discussed how being a member of the LGBTQ community affected their lives as Latinos, students and Greeks. We sat there, most of us wearing purple, discussing our stories and answering questions from audience members.
I had to admit I was nervous about being on the panel. Being "out" isn't as easy as it looks. There I was, fully owning and admitting who I was and having an open dialogue about it in a room of proverbial strangers. The program was cathartic in many ways and allowed me to really examine how far our community has come. Its wasn't that long ago that I went to my first National Coming Out Day, Gay Pride Parade, or had my first serious same-sex relationship, but there I was telling pieces of my not-so-rosey coming out story. I was surprised (and a little jealous) that most of the young panelist had not had such a hard road to tow. So much spotlight has been focused on our community for decades, but I think the HIV/AIDS scare of the late 70s early 80s really put everything on Front street. Since then more dialogue has occurred, educating outside communities about what it's like to be LGBTQ. Sure some myths still exist like "don't most STDs come from the gay community?" and "does bisexuality really exist?", but there has been great strides to bring about awareness and dispell many rumors.
Many of the student panelist gushed about how much they loved being a part of the LGBTQ community at Rutgers because of how open people were and how they all looked out for each other. It made me a little sad because I wished Tyler Clementi (whom the program was in honor of) had been able to fight through his pain for a few weeks so he could attend the program, meet the panelist and find his place, his safe haven in our community. No matter how bleak things may seem, we all have to give a damn because it does and will get better. We still have a way to go in this country when determining equal rights for all, but at least there is a national dialogue on how to make things better. Hopefully much was gained from last night and more people start to Give A Damn: