The Closet

The closet is for people
who are not ready to see the world...
or rather
who are not ready for the world to see them.
The closet is a sanctuary 
a safe place
but it's filled with fear at times.
Bein in the closet
one has little room
and it in such a position
in which two things are visible.
One being the skeleton
        the skeleton of the truth.
The other is the key hole
        in which the world is visible.
Because you can see the world
        the cruelty and kindness
the reasons to fear
        and reasons to trust.
The closet remains closed
        until you have the courage
                      to believe there is more reason to trust
                      than more reason to fear the cruelty.
It is up to you to see this.


-Anonymous

Racists

Ok, any person who says there is no racism in this country just because we have a black president is blind to the actual issues in this world. Not only that, but they piss me off. Why don't THEY live through the stares when you walk in a store. Why don't THEY walk down the street and get called names. Why don't they open their goddamn eyes and see what is going on EVERYWHERE?
The thing is, THEY CANT because they are WHITE. It pisses me off when they pull some stat out their ass proving there is no racism, and if there is its from the black community. One, that is racist. Two, they are stupid. Three- FUCK OFF UNTIL THEY ARE TREATED DIFFERENTLY IN A BAD WAY JUST BECAUSE OF HOW THEY LOOK, THEY WILL NEVER UNDERSTAND.


-Anonymous

"That's so Gay"

That's so gay.
That's sooo gay.
That's so gayyyy.

Why do people say this?
unless they mean
that's so happy
they shouldn't say it
It hurts me
I cry inside
I can't stop shaking
I blink back tears

Today this is said constantly
and yet, they hurt me
by saying those three words.

That's so gay.

I wish I had the courage to tell them to stop.
I wish I had the courage to speak up.


-Anonymous

Why Won't You Let Me?

I just want to…

 but you took that right away.

What happened to:
“Life, Love, and the pursuit of Happiness”  ?

You are taking two thirds of that away from me

And so many other people

How does me getting married effect anyone else?
Yes, I will add love to the air,

Yes I will hold her hand down the street,

But if you don’t like it, You don’t have to look at it.

Turn your head away and problem solved.

We can fight in the military now,

And not be ashamed.

Pero por qué le hace comenzando un combate con..

Oh, I’m sorry, does it bother you that I speak Spanish.

Lo siento pero no es mi problema.

Now you are mad that not only am I queer, but also that I’m Mexican?

Did you realize, that if you made becoming a citizen of this amazing county

*  cough cough   *

Easier, then we would have fewer illegal immigrants?

That the reason why you complain so much

Would no longer exist?

Did you ever think

That the reason why people come to this country Illegally

Is because of how amazing we make it sound?
“Everyone has a chance to change their class,”

*  cough cough   *

“The American dream is the best dream anyone could have.”

·      cough cough  *

Why is it, it seems

That most everyone is more concerned with the idea

Of people crossing the border from Mexico

Rather than those who cross the border from the North or East or West?

If people are so against Mexican Immigrants

Why wont they be equally concerned with others?

Oh it’s the principle of the matter.

Because Mexican immigrants LOOK different

And European immigrants can just BLEND IN.

Well guess what, that is BULLSHIT

And this conversation is over.

I Didn't Belong

I was an outed sorority woman. I came out to my pledge class about a month into the recruitment process, called pledging. I was crying, and everyone stayed silent. I asked if I could leave, because I didn’t want to stand there while everyone was staring at me. I felt they were judging me. As I was walking out of the room, I heard one girl call out, “ You’re still my sister!” After those words were said, everyone started clapping.  I thought they were fine with me, and who I am…


Winter formal came up, and I knew not everyone was ok with my sexuality. People had been whispering around me, while others had continued making ‘that’s so gay jokes.’ I made it known that I was feeling out-casted, and things were getting strange. People were being stand-off-ish, and I knew if I went to formal with my friend, also female, people would judge and act horribly toward us. My friend thought that was a lie, and I was acting childish…

The dance came up, and right away my friend knew if anything, I was under exaggerating. No one bothered asking if we were dating, but just assumed.  By the end of the night, multiple men had attempted to dance with the both of us, asking if we would dance and then some; but the worst of it was, someone started a fight with my friend. My friend did nothing wrong, just stood there and spoke in an even voice to calm the girl down. The girl continued to shove my friend, yelling and calling her names. All the guys who came to the dance saw this and asked my supposed sister to calm down, telling me my friend is doing the right thing. My other  ‘sisters’ just came up to me and screamed to get my date under-control; my girlfriend is crazy and going to hurt someone;  I shouldn’t have come because they all knew I was going to start something. I started crying, begging my friend to leave with me. She finally agreed upon seeing my tears.

Although I had fun in the sorority, I never really felt like I belonged. The lesbian mommy jokes never quit. In the end I dropped, although there was some financial problems on my end, I feel that a major reason was because I know I didn't belong, and my 'sisters' made it a point to show that I didn't belong.

-Abi

Enough

ENOUGH!

I am tired of you hurting me

I am tired of your stupid jokes

I am tired of your thoughtlessness

I am tired you not listening

I am American

I am human

I am women

I am Mexican

Don’t try to tell me otherwise

Don’t try to change my mind

Don’t try to make me different

Don’t try to cover your back

Enough

Stop

It hurts

Can you not see my tears?

The tears come from pain

But what did I ever do

To deserve this?

As I walk down the street to the bus stop

I see a mother and her child

I see the way the former looks at me

With my tan skin, and dark hair.

She takes the hand of the young one

And crosses the street.

Holding her child, on the far side.

Enough

Stop

It hurts

Can you not see my tears?

The tears come from pain

But what did I ever do

To deserve this?

As soon as I pass the threshold into this little store of yours

I saw you whisper to your worker

Never again did I walk down an aisle alone

If I picked something up

To see if its what I want

I felt the glare from behind

And I just walked out.

Enough

Stop

It hurts

Can you not see my tears?

The tears come from pain

But what did I ever do

To deserve this?

I walked and did nothing more

And yet you yelled at me

And threw cans which hit me

Calling me immigrant, illegal, outsider

I continued on

Holding my head high

Willing the tears not to come

Until I reached the safety of my home.

Enough

Stop

It hurts

Can you not see my tears?

The tears come from pain

But what did I ever do to deserve this?

The leaves had changed

I strolled down the street admiring the colors

A sharp pain jolted me

Out of the trance I was in

I looked around

All I saw was an old man

Rake in hand, glaring at me.

Enough

Stop

It hurts

Can you not see my tears?

The tears come from pain

But what did I ever do

To deserve this?

NO MAS

No puedo sacral lo no mas

Soy un persona

Nosotros somos personas

I am the same

As you are the same

Los solos diferentes

De me son los tu hace

Don’t treat us special

Don’t treat us different

Enough

Stop

It hurts

Can you not see my tears?

The tears come from pain

But what did I ever do

To deserve this?

I AM. MEXICAN

I AM AMERICAN

I AM. WOMEN

I. AM HUMAN.

If am all these things

Then why do you act

As if only some count?

I am one of them

I am all of the above.

Do not act as if

I am different then you

The only difference there is

Are the ones you make

Tu tienes un Corazon

?No lo tengo?

Tu tienes un mente

?No lo tengo?

Don't I have a right to live?

Don’t I have a right to speak?


-Abi Valero