Friday, July 02, 2004

We now return to our regularly scheduled gayness

As much fun as I'm having gushing about the trip, another event cropped up this week that deserves a post. I (re)met a police officer from California. He just turned 40. He works in Nothern California as the director of a law enforcement academy. And he just came out.

He's known he wasn't straight since he was about 12 years old. He's had girlfriends and the other usual "alibi" behaviors. But at 40 years old, he decided to come out and live his life openly. So far he's just coming out to the friends and family close to him, and those he feels can handle the information without im/exploding. This is a VERY happy thing. He credits Matt's death for a lot of his decision. Matt's story touched him so much that he found the courage after all that time.

Talking to him touched me. Once again it reminded me why I keep speaking and fighting and teaching and burning the candle at both ends. It's for people like him. It's so that people don't have to go through what he endured to be themselves.

Today's lesson: Inspiration and motivation are all around us, sometimes even hidden behind horrible things. Find it. Seek it out. Harness it, and make a positive change in your life.

No comments: