It took a while for me to realize that staying still was killing me too quickly. If I'm going to die, I'm going to live as long as I can. I will not hide who I am for the sake of those around me. I will not deny myself happiness because people around me refuse to learn. I stand in defiance of intolerance.
People who refuse to listen and learn are the poison on earth. The truest form of idiocy. The purest kind of stupid.
I genuinely believe that those who harbour hate on the basis of lack of knowledge are simply dullards. The inability to grow and learn, the inability to gain intelligence. Intolerance is the number one cause of human tragedy. The Holocaust, the Rwandan genocide, residential schools, 9-11. Even as far back as Moses liberating the slaves of Egypt. If we know these events have occurred because of intolerance, then why on earth are we still seeing deliberate and obvious intolerance against people who are simply living their lives peacefully? Discrimination builds this armour for hate; if enough people hate one group, then they will come together and destroy them. This hate is the number one cause of genocide. Let me make this clear, it is not the ONLY reason that genocide happens, but no matter how you spin it, it will still always be the number one cause.
We see it even today. There are still countries in this world that kill homosexuals. There are countries in this world that see women as less than people. There are nations on earth today that see it fit that if they don't agree with someone else's life, they deserve to be killed. This isn't a war on minorities, this is a war on the human race.
I wonder how many people on earth would be surprised to know that there is a one hundred percent chance that someone in their bloodline identified as LGBTQ. Those people are hiding in fear for their life. To make someone fear for their life, to disrupt their peace, their safety, that is a breach of their human rights. I urge you to look deep within yourself, imagine for just a moment, that someone looked at you, and because they didn't agree with something about you, they destroyed your life. They murdered you.
Imagine for just a second that everyone with blue eyes were suddenly seen as demons. Imagine if the church decided to say that people with blue eyes are sins of earth, that blue eyes are against God. Imagine, that everyone with blue eyes was pushed out, tortured, tormented, killed, enslaved, beaten, arrested. Imagine for just a second, that because your eyes are blue you deserve to die. But that will never happen, because you can't choose your eye colour just as you can't choose your sexuality. That will never happen because just the sound of it makes it sound silly. But this is the reality for some. The reality of it is, this kind of intolerance does exist, and it is prominent in this world today.
It's not just sexuality. It's gender, it's religion, it's class, it's status, it's education, it's race. It's everything. No one is safe. This is a war on the human race, because when you really think about it, who is perfect in the eyes of these deciders? Who lives up to the standard? It is the straight, white, rich man. Do you know how many people on earth fit this standard? Less than one percent. Less than one percent of the entire world. Less than one percent of eight billion people. Less than one percent of people are safe. This is a war on the human race.
Separate the human from the thing you hate and look into their eyes. Those could have been your child's eyes. Your mothers eyes. Your fathers eyes. Your friend's eyes.
I am a bisexual man. My eyes are not the eyes of someone who deserves to be murdered. I have never hurt anyone. I have never been the cause of someone else's death. My identity does not kill people, it's the intolerance against me that kills people.
I could not imagine looking at a human, and because their skin colour does not match mine, hating them with such passion that I believe they deserve to die. I could not imagine looking at a human who is gay and deciding to assault them simply because I do not agree. I don't agree with a lot of people, but that does not mean they deserve to be put to death. Maybe I don't understand, and maybe I think it's wrong, but who am I to decide? If they aren't hurting me or anyone else, who am I to judge? Just because I do not like someone doesn't mean their life is worthless. Maybe to you my life is meaningless and I should be put to death, put to my mother I am her whole world. I am not just bisexual. I am a son. I am a brother. I will be a father. I have dreams and aspirations for my life. I am in university studying to save lives. Yes, I am bisexual, but that is a tiny fraction of who I am.
I promise that the life I'm living and am going to continue to live will be purposeful. I promise, that of everyone on earth, I am the least of your worries.
We live in a world where minorities are slaughtered like cattle because of intolerance. This is the world your children will grow up in. This is the world you will live and die in. This is the world, and we are far from change.
Intolerance kills humans. Intolerance causes genocide and human tragedy. How many more lives must be taken before we learn? How many must die for us to realize we need to change. This is a war on the human race. Nobody is safe.
