In the years since Stonewall much has happened in the ongoing struggle for the full equality. Whether it was passage of the Mathew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act, the repeal of the military's DADT policy, the legalization of same-sex marriage in six states and Washington DC, there has been much to celebrate. According to recent poll by Gallup, 53% of Americans support same-sex marriage. It seems the tide is shifting.
Yet there is still so much to be done. Despite the growing support for equality, our country still hasn't fully addressed the realities of homophobia or even begun to recognize (outside of academia anyway) the subtle and maybe even unconscious ways that heteronormativity is taught to children and a part of how society operates.
If we've learned anything from Stonewall, it is that we have to speak out and actively engage. As Harvey Milk might tell us, the only way that we will achieve the equality we seek is to show others who we are. LGBTQI people are just that, people; parents, students, sisters, brothers, aunt and uncles. Thankfully, we have campaigns like It Gets Better, NOH8 and organizations like Human Rights Campaign that are carrying on the vision and passion of Stonewall. May we never forget!
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