Just had a teachable moment. Yesterday was #NationalComingOutDay. I expressed my support for the LGBTQIA+ community and stated that I support equal rights. Someone felt the need to go out of their way to tell me that they don't support equal rights. 
This tells me a lot about the person doing it. I know the guy who said it was a white man from his profile picture. His profile has a quote about God giving strength to the powerless, so I know that he is Christian. It was in English, so he probably lives in the USA or UK.
Some people don't realize that they were accidentally born on the top of the heap. A white, Christian man living in a first world country in the 21st century has never had to face the challenges that a queer person their own age has.
They've never had to worry about losing friends or family if they reveal their sexuality. The Supreme Curt of the United States has never deemed it legal for a business to deny them service based on their identity. They probably weren't attacked for living their preferred gender.
Here's the lesson in our teachable moment. It's easy to say that you do not support equal rights when you are coming from a place of privilege. Equal rights gain you nothing. To someone used to privilege, equality can feel like punishment. Here's the secret: IT ISN'T.
You lose nothing by lifting others up. Every single person deserves to be treated as well as you. And if your life is also hard, full of challenges, then you deserve better too, but so does everyone else.
It's easy not to support equal rights when your rights aren't the ones that need protecting. I support those who are coming out, but if you come out against the rights of others you get blocked. It's that simple.
Thank you for coming to my rant.
Thank you for coming to my rant.
