The word rebel is one that gets thrown around a lot, by a lot of people- by hick Southerners referring to the Confederacy; by Star Wars geeks talking about Luke Skywalker and asking why TK-421 isn't at his post; by Freshman poli-sci majors in Che Guevara t-shirts that will eventually be used to polish the furniture in their utterly conventional houses.
And yet, the word rebel never really loses its luster. No matter how watered down by commercialism and overuse, rebel speaks to us in ways other words can't. It speaks of near-insurmountable odds. It speaks of fighting for a cause more important than one person, a cause that has to be fought regardless of the high unlikelihood of victory. America was born of rebels. We love rebels- James Dean, George Washington, Bugs Bunny.
Even in America, there is a status quo, and people who want to uphold it. They form a sizable chunk of the population, and they hold the keys to many of the important doors. But wherever they are, there are also rebels.
Right now, the status quo in America is intent on marginalizing the gay community.
And right now, all of you folks out there who are gay, all of you who have stepped out of the closet and announced your sexual preference to the world- you're all rebels.
I realize, of course, that my envy is ridiculous and childish. I realize that the rest of the world is telling you that you're wrong, or sick, or hellbound, and that your lives are dangerous, depressing, frustrating and tragic.
But I'm a man of words, a man of stories and poems and books and movies. I'm a sucker for epics. And what could be greater... what could be more epic, than this?
People battle for fame or renown, for resources or territory, for country. How many people, in all of history, get to say that they fought for love?
Oh my god, are you guys ever my heroes. Taking up arms against a sea of troubles on behalf of the ones you love. There's no greed, there is no vanity. There is nothing here but the purest expression of the American belief system that has ever been captured.
And eventually, America will realize this as well. That you are the romantics in this world, that you are the rebels, the heroes, the plucky underdogs, and that everyone else hiding behind a cracking facade is nothing more than Darth Vader in a suit.
I'm a straight white man.
And I'm also with you.
Because I always know who the good guys are.
Whenever I despair, I remember that the way of truth and love has always won. There may be tyrants and murderers, and for a time, they may seem invincible, but in the end, they always fail. Think of it: always. -Gandhi