On Friday, October 14th. I, as my high school's first ever LGBTQ+ Minister, organized and held our first ever LGBTQ+ History Month Assembly. It was an exciting, rewarding experience, and I'm just so grateful. I would not have done it without the help and support that I received from the school's admins/staff, students, and our student council Cabinet. It was perfect, it was time. I feel like I'm finally ready to be a serious activist and advocate for those in the community who may not get to have a voice. Again, not thinking that I'm some amazing legend or anything. But this is something I'm proud of, and I'm happy that I was given this opportunity to create change.
We need a community, and we need to let others know that they're not alone. And creating such safe safe goes beyond my activism or the community's involvement. We need allies. We need support. We need people who are not part of the LGBTQ+ community to really listen and understand, and care. We need people to care. It drives me insane when people don't care enough, or just brushes social issues off of conversations. We need you to care, and to educate yourself on how you can help, why we as a community are fighting, and what we're fighting for.
A great ally is more than just acceptance, it's about knowledge. And I have the pleasure of knowing a great ally in my own life. Hope that her words of comfort to me can inspire and let the world understand the importance of love and respect.
“I support you. I will support you. I owe my best friend my support and my fight. My best friend deserves someone to fight alongside her, to ease the burden of the world against her, to give her someone to lean on when everything she does results in negativity and backlash. How can I sit here as your best friend and not support you? How can I, sitting in my comfortable Cis-privileged chair complain about what I've been through, when you've been through and are going through so much more. How can I sit here and watch you constantly be attacked for your identity and for what you stand up for? How can I support you only when it is comfortable for me, in the safety of your home, but turn my back on you when you're suffering outside just because that it is uncomfortable for me? I will support and I will fight when the fight gets too hard for you. I can't say that I'll be perfect at it, and I can't say that I'll be able to get into it right away. I can't always see when things are happening. But I will try, and I will try my hardest. Because no one should have to face all of these problems on their own. No one should have to face all this discrimination and prejudice and adversity without a friend who will be there right alongside them. And maybe together we can make a difference, and together we can accomplish something amazing, and together we can free ourselves from the prejudice and finally be in genuine, respected peace. I just wish I could understand the adversity you go through, and have went through. I wish that I could be that trans or gay best friend that you need. I wish I could be that community for you. I wish that I could give you that empathy. The support and the unity is all I can do, but is the least I can do.”
“I support you. I will support you. I owe my best friend my support and my fight. My best friend deserves someone to fight alongside her, to ease the burden of the world against her, to give her someone to lean on when everything she does results in negativity and backlash. How can I sit here as your best friend and not support you? How can I, sitting in my comfortable Cis-privileged chair complain about what I've been through, when you've been through and are going through so much more. How can I sit here and watch you constantly be attacked for your identity and for what you stand up for? How can I support you only when it is comfortable for me, in the safety of your home, but turn my back on you when you're suffering outside just because that it is uncomfortable for me? I will support and I will fight when the fight gets too hard for you. I can't say that I'll be perfect at it, and I can't say that I'll be able to get into it right away. I can't always see when things are happening. But I will try, and I will try my hardest. Because no one should have to face all of these problems on their own. No one should have to face all this discrimination and prejudice and adversity without a friend who will be there right alongside them. And maybe together we can make a difference, and together we can accomplish something amazing, and together we can free ourselves from the prejudice and finally be in genuine, respected peace. I just wish I could understand the adversity you go through, and have went through. I wish that I could be that trans or gay best friend that you need. I wish I could be that community for you. I wish that I could give you that empathy. The support and the unity is all I can do, but is the least I can do.”
- Abryna Bulford
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