I have thought about how disgusted I am by the ineffectiveness of the tireless efforts of human rights campaigns to afford all beings the same freedoms and privileges. I have thought about how the United States claims men, women, and children are equal both under God and the documents that stand at the foundation of the country, yet it acts in a completely different faction. I have thought about how, for decades, those with the influence and knowledge to change the way the country views the LGBTQ community have preferred to sit in corners and watch the debate from a safe place instead of standing up for humans who have had their birth-given rights taken from them. Thus far, these thoughts have only served to make me angry. 

Then, I think about how sad it must be. How hopeless we, as a society, have become if we can't embrace the uniqueness of our own people. How we, as a beacon of freedom and equality, can't allow those who teach our children, salute our flag, engineer our bridges, and write for our newspapers to be themselves. 

Words don't take back years of oppression. They don't erase inaction and they certainly don't decrease the pain felt by those who have longed for acceptance. But since they are all I have in the wake of realization and the celebration of the advancement of equality, I offer an apology to the LGBTQ community and all those not quite ready to join it. 

I am so sorry that you are just now obtaining freedoms that you, as human beings, were inherently born with. I am so sorry that oppression led you down a road in which you could not live your lives as heterosexual couples do, and I am so sorry that your love was considered a means to a political agenda rather than a basic human emotion. 

I am also so proud of you for never giving up the fight. I am so proud of you for your persistence and your courage and your inability to take "no" for an answer. I cannot express how much I admire you. You were stronger and bigger than those of us who dissented against you and you were more courageous than those of us who believed in your cause and chose to do nothing to aid it. You embodied what we, as a free people, pride ourselves on being as we sat idly on the sidelines, grateful for the freedom and yet too self-absorbed to take advantage of it.

Lastly, thank you for being strong and showing us that dedication and commitment should always be valued as tools to a better world. Thank you for not being as afraid as most who were oppressed as you were. And above all else, thank you for setting an example. Thank you for not turning your back on us the way we, sometimes, turned ours on you. Thank you for practicing the acceptance and love that you so desired and did not always receive. 

I support you. I believe in you. 

"I am not being brave. I am being a decent human being. Love is a human experience, not a political statement."
Anne Hathaway, receiving the Human Rights Campaign's Ally Award, 2008