Below is an open a letter I wish President Obama would read.
Please jump below the orange pretzel..is it pumpkin flavored?
Dear President Obama,
During my 42 years of life in a vast array of places too numerous to list, I have encountered many people, seen many different cultures. Coming from a Jewish family of limited means in a very rural area my life has been shaped in a unique way.
I had 2 people in my life who were the most moral upstanding people I will ever know, my father and maternal grandfather. These two men taught me over and over that all individuals are worthy of respect.
As is unfortunately, I have encountered bigotry throughout various stages of my life. Especially in that rural area I was raised in, the only Jewish family for many miles. The school I attended was shall we say less than enlightened. One teacher in particular stands out. He used to not teach at all (sadly I missed out on some science education) and mostly told stories from his youth of long ago. One story always stuck out in my mind. He started it “This black guy, but he was a good person”. Why did he feel the need to qualify that? I understood all too well sadly.
From knowing how it felt to be discriminated against (one year I had to sit outside the classroom each morning while the teacher read stories from the New testament, seriously I am NOT making this up) I vowed to never be like those who hated out of petty bigotry.
From a family of limited means, I had to basically go it on my own after high school. I tried to put myself through college, but even back in the late 80's that was expensive. I ended up dropping out after 2 years (with a lot of debt and low blood sugar from skipping eating) and joining the Army.
One of the great things about the Army was I saw little discrimination (far less than my hometown and where I went to college briefly) due to skin color or religion (no place is totally perfect). However there was one group that was highly targeted, the LGBT soldiers. A lot of this came when "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" was first introduced. I saw respected NCOs and officers make very degrading jokes about the LGBT community. It was quite common. One command I was in stands out for a number of reasons. One of which is that is was THE MOST PROFESSIONAL unit of which I served with. The second, they were all African American. I certain joy still fills my heart when I think of them. When "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" came out, they were for it, but were reluctant to speak out. Once they learned I was Jewish, they felt it was safe to discuss with me as certain elements in the Army may use their sympathies against them. I am talking in the days when crude bigoted LGBT jokes would be openly passed around without any fear of repercussion. (One that still stands out is the Pink Beret Song) A time when you didn't even want to be jokingly called f-g as your life could potentially become a living hell.
The point of the above, Mr. President, is that you too know how it feels to be wrongly treated due to bigotry. The men and women I speak of above knew it too. They also knew that the hatred towards the LGBT community was wrong and is still today. They were not in a position to change the way the Army viewed the LGBT community, you Mr. President are in a position to change an entire nation.
You, Mr. President, however, are in a position where you can stand up for the LGBT community. I realize it may not be popular. But at one point in America's history white men stood beside African-Americans for their rights when it wasn't popular, and you now enjoy rights that may not be possible if brave men and women of conscience had not stood up for your rights. A great American, possibly the greatest, MLK stood up for the rights of not only African-Americans but the Jewish people as well during the civil rights area. Men such as MLK knew you had to stand up for the rights of all people.
Now today Mr. President I am asking you to stand up today not for my people, but a people that is in need of a powerful man with a strong voice to help them be heard. It is time for you, a man who can truly understand the plight of those discriminated against to take a stand. Stand up for the LGBT community. Ask yourself what MLK would do, a man who stood with the Jews, when he could have easily looked the other way towards us.
I write this as a straight married man married to a straight woman. A close relative of ours will soon be joining the world after high school. She identifies herself as Bi/Gay. As she continues to determine for herself what her path is, it is my hope you can make the world a kinder place for her and start to work on eliminating some of the built in hatred and bigotry of our laws and people. As you work on the laws, people will be inspired by you and through that I hope some people in America may change as well.