Be Proud Of Who You Are* (*within reason of course)
Today is NATIONAL COMING OUT DAY. This day generally reserved for the homosexual community to "come out of the closet" and let others know. If you are a gay man or woman, be proud and let the world know who you are. There should be ABSOLUTELY no shame on being yourself. If somebody tries to shame you for being gay, their issue is not with you...it is with themselves and they need to come to terms with it.
Now that I have said that, I would be remiss if I did not say this to my atheist brothers and sisters out there. For many years I closeted myself from the majority of the world about being an atheist. My mom insisted that I do not disclose that information due to fears of retribution from small minded religious types. I only let a very small minority of people know if my rejecting and lack of faith of an imaginary sky fairy created to control the masses . Even then, some of them seems off put by that notion that I could believe in their imaginary friend. That re-enforced what my mom told me. The fact that some of my close friends did not feel comfortable in my lack of faith struck a raw nerve. So I kept mostly quiet and only discussed these matters with other atheists.
Along comes the internet. Hooray for the internet. With advent of social networks and anonymity within the internet, I could start stepping out of the atheist closet more and more. Only within the last 10 of my 43 years of life I have been fully open with my lack of belief. In fact, to the point now that I am comfortable enough of shoving back at the small minded religious types. It is so amazingly liberating not having to conceal myself. I have heard this same thing from many of my gay friends that now live life as themselves and not what the small minded majority expects them to be. With that being said, I do make a quick step back in the atheist closet when I am at work and when I I am dealing with my kids school and social community involved therein. My kids do not need the grief placed upon them from any of their indoctrinated classmates...kids can be cruel enough without the extra added fuel for their taunts.
So, if you are gay, lesbian or atheist...kick open that closet door and let the world know who you are. If somebody gives you shit, flip them the bird and tell them "Fuck off! I don't need acceptance from small minded fools."
Now that I have said that, I would be remiss if I did not say this to my atheist brothers and sisters out there. For many years I closeted myself from the majority of the world about being an atheist. My mom insisted that I do not disclose that information due to fears of retribution from small minded religious types. I only let a very small minority of people know if my rejecting and lack of faith of an imaginary sky fairy created to control the masses . Even then, some of them seems off put by that notion that I could believe in their imaginary friend. That re-enforced what my mom told me. The fact that some of my close friends did not feel comfortable in my lack of faith struck a raw nerve. So I kept mostly quiet and only discussed these matters with other atheists.
Along comes the internet. Hooray for the internet. With advent of social networks and anonymity within the internet, I could start stepping out of the atheist closet more and more. Only within the last 10 of my 43 years of life I have been fully open with my lack of belief. In fact, to the point now that I am comfortable enough of shoving back at the small minded religious types. It is so amazingly liberating not having to conceal myself. I have heard this same thing from many of my gay friends that now live life as themselves and not what the small minded majority expects them to be. With that being said, I do make a quick step back in the atheist closet when I am at work and when I I am dealing with my kids school and social community involved therein. My kids do not need the grief placed upon them from any of their indoctrinated classmates...kids can be cruel enough without the extra added fuel for their taunts.
So, if you are gay, lesbian or atheist...kick open that closet door and let the world know who you are. If somebody gives you shit, flip them the bird and tell them "Fuck off! I don't need acceptance from small minded fools."
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