I wanted to tell my story as politically correct and polite as possible. Unfortunately, that would leave a blank page. Manners are not always appropriate when speaking for a community that has been targeted and bullied for centuries. Lin-Manuel Miranda inspired me with this line from Hamilton, “… I’d rather be divisive than indecisive. Drop the niceties.” —Hamilton, “A Farmer Refuted”

Our great country was founded by a group of men who decided to stand up against the tyranny of King George III. The first document of our country was written declaring our independence. The Declaration of Independence states, “ We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” As an American, I feel that it is my duty to uphold the freedom and liberties that the Founding Fathers fought for when creating our nation. It is up to all Americans to stand up for the oppressed, regardless of our sexual orientation.

I was raised in a small town by strict, religious parents. From a very young age, I learned that “HOMOSEXUALITY IS WRONG”. As a straight child, this never really affected me. The Bible says that it is a sin so it must be. I can vividly recall the day when everything changed. A television show of all things made me realize that my blase attitude did matter. I was watching Dawson’s Creek and one of the character’s, Jack McPhee, came out of the closet. He was a character that was already established and greatly loved. His struggle changed my perspective. I was able to see the trials facing LGBT teens and realized that my attitude is relevant.

Fast forward to a decade later and the issue of gay marriage is all over Facebook. My religious friends are posting things about how marriage is a covenant with God, between a man and a woman. I did not openly confront anyone but I was shocked that so many people opposed it so strongly. Even if you believe “homosexuality is wrong,” how can you take pride as an American and at the same time put down an entire group of people?
This is largely the same group of people that believe in the freedom of religion, yet treat the Second Amendment like it was written by God himself. However, their view was obviously obscured because if they truly believed in the freedom of religion how can you create laws prohibiting gay marriage solely on religious beliefs. If I can marry the man I love, then why can’t my best friend? Even after the Supreme Court upheld the right for all to marry, the community still feels unrest that this right and freedom can be taken away.

I began to ask myself, “What can I do?” In order for things to change, I need to do more than post my profile picture with a rainbow flag on it. The musical Rent touched my soul but the musical Hamilton inspired me to do something. “If you stand for nothing Burr what’ll you fall for?” —Hamilton, “Aaron Burr, Sir”. If we don’t stand up and fight for our beliefs like our founding fathers, nothing will ever change.