Our Brave Youth

If you haven't read this article in the Washington Post, I recomend you do. It's about a young man, Saro, who lives nearby in Arlington and is about his coming out. Saro is one of an increasing number of people who are chosing to come out while still in high school.

This trend has to have the foes of equality terrified. If other students accept Saro and others like him then it makes it that much harder for them to foment intolerance. When you already know gay or transgender friends, you are much less likely to buy into the nonsense that some are spreading.

Of course, Saro couldn't take his actions if it hadn't been for the decades of progress that began with such groups as the Mattachine Society and the Daughters of Bilitis and the Stonewall Riot. But, his simple act of outing himself will have a major impact ten to twenty years from now. From what I've seen, most of today's high school kids support full equality including marriage equality. They are going to be voting soon. When enough of them have graduated, the parade of state constitution amendments will stop and before long after that we'll start to reverse the trend.

Those who oppose equality know that the only way they can win is to keep us in the closet where lies and disinformation can exist without truth getting in the way. Thanks to the bravery of Saro and othersl like him, it makes it that much harder for those lies to survive.