The logic of this Dale Carpenter quote over at The New York Times took my breath away. It’s probably the first time that I have felt, deep in the core of my being, that there is nothing wrong with being gay. Instead, there is something wrong with people who are afraid of people who are gay, or more specifically, there’s something wrong with people who perpetuate the myth that heterosexual people think there’s something wrong with being gay.

The article referenced above addresses the American military’s issue of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell, but it helps me more clearly perceive the world around me. It helps explain why not one person, ever, has reacted with anything but support and kindness when I have shared with him or her my sexual orientation. At the same time, it explains why I am often still hesitant to do so. I, too, am afraid of the myth that straight folks just can’t handle the truth. What a stupid waste of time and a needless source of pain for so many people, both gay and straight!

My new moto is: Don’t Believe the Myth!