A bit of background before I get into this. I am a 20 year old gay male who goes to college in Washington, DC. I am political science major, and politics is my life. This hopefully explains where this comes from...
So last night I particiapated in my favorite form of protesting: going to a gay club and dancing the night away, not but a few blocks from where our President sleeps. (The other gay club in DC that I love has a view of the Capitol Dome from it's front door.)
How is this protesting? Simple. Going there is an affirmation of an idenity that is all too often surpressed. Too many people (both Republicans and Democrats sadly) try to legislate against me and others, under this mis-guided notion that they are "protecting" themselves. What exactly are they protecting themselves from? A club full of guys and girls dancing all night long?
There I was last night, dancing to personal favorites such as
I Will Surive, with friends and countless others. Right here in Republican owned Washington, I was expressing myself in a way that would make their hair curl. It was wonderful! It was a big
FUCK YOU to all those who would rather I spend my Thursday nights home with some girl. (Thursdays are free for college students which is part of why I go then.) They cannot stand they idea that I'm just like everyone else in that I enjoy the company of friends and enjoy dancing every once and a while.
It is also nice because of all the negativity out there lately. Moves this administration is making scare me. And yet, right under their nose is a vibrant culture who simply wants to be. I can confidently bet that no one else in that club was struck as I was about the statement behind our actions. Most of those people probably don't give politics too much thought. But it is there. We are there. And we will not be kept down. As much as people like to pretent gays don't exist, we gather and dance and hang out and have fun and show that as the saying goes: We're here and we're queer!
I worry about my future and my place in society. It's hard to know that who I am can possibly hold me back. But you know what? I refuse to give people satisfaction of holding me down. I have abitious goals, and I will achieve them. And one day, hopefully in my lifetime, being gay won't matter.
Until then, I'm going to keep on dancing!
