First of all,

I'm straight,

But it doesn't matter,

Who you love,

Is who you love,

A person that loves you,

Is all you need,

In front of you?

If the answer is yes,

Nothing else should matter,

As long as you love,

One another.

Many wish,

They could find love,

In the world,

It is hard to find love,

So quick to find hate,

Since hate is easier,

We need to learn,

That love is love.

Love conquers all,

All love conquers,

I hope to find love,

Everyone does.

Love

knows not

the physical

though

our body

politic

wriggles

at the

thought

and the

visual

why dost

the mind

find all

coupling

so damned

inexplicable

you & I

might rise

above

the civil

hey! it’s

not for us

to forgive

what

Nature

has made

liberal

I offer

my love

invisible

and say

we ought

humble

ourselves

a little

judge not

lest we too

fall upon

the chopping

block

deemed

evil

to lose

a hand

a foot

a tooth

or other

body part

still

found

sinful

in the

ever fearful

amputation

of our

cavernous

human

heart

#LoveIsLove #Challenge

June is LGBT Pride Month.

What does this mean to a straight man like me? At first, in all honesty, it didn't mean much to mean. Sadly, that was during a time where I was homophobic, which is something that isn't easy to admit for me. That was a long time ago when I was younger. To this day, whenver I look back on it, I'm ashamed of how ignorant and intolerant I once was when I was younger. But as I grew older and wiser to the world around me, I started feeling sympathy and empathy for those I insulted.

I started asking myself serious questions, such as why am I acting like this, why can't two people of the same sex fall in love and marry, why am I being such an asshole about it. Maybe because of my pretty conservative family (who have grown to be more supportive of homosexuality too), maybe it came from the influence of the very Christian community in the town I grew up in, or maybe I was just some angry shithead who took his anger out on others for no reason, I honestly just don't know. I tried to find an answer as to why I ever was like that, but sadly, I couldn't come up with one. For so long, I wished I could erase that part of my life, but then I realized that it did help me become the better man that I am today. There's a great quote from Star Trek: The Next Generation that can sum me up.

"There are many parts my youth that I'm not proud of. Loose threads, untidy parts of me that I would like removed. But when I pulled on one of those threads, it unraveled the tapestry of my life."

I'm glad I am no longer this ignorant young shithead that I once was. That's the beautiful thing about life and living: you learn as you grow. I have fully accepted everyone who is gay or lesbian or bisexual or transgender, and so on. I have interacted with many people of different orientations, some of which have become good friends of mine. I even wrote several poems and stories with LGBT themes, and have featured several LGBT characters in my Sins of the Father series. I'm a proud supporter of the LGBT community, and I'll gladly stand with them. I'm not afraid to show that support.

Why write this? Why confess this, you ask. So that anyone reading this can learn two important lessons:

1) Anyone can change their views

2) Everyone can learn to accept and love

What does Pride Month mean to a straight man like me? It means that it is a time to for those who are born different to celebrate who they are and not feel ashamed or afraid, despite what certain political and religious powers say. It is a time to embrace and spread the love. It is a time to stand with your friends and family members who are part of the LGBT community and let them know that they are never alone and that they are loved.

Remember, love is love.

And June is the right month to share the love.

#lgbt #lgbtq #support #pridemonth #loveislove