A poem I wrote for school

Some words mean nothing,

 it just passes like the wind.

 You hear it and forget it.

 It's gone.

 But some words are a fire in your stomach.

 It reminds you of your pain. 

 It reminds you of the centuries of pain that people like you had to deal with. 

6 pain full letters. 

2 agonizing syllables. 

Now that things are “better”

 people try to erase you.

 They say it's not important because it happened a long time ago. 

2015?

We went aloud to legally exist until 2015. 

How was that a long time ago?

And people are still trying to erase us. 

Gay.

 Yes I said it.

 Get over it.

 It's not a hateful word unless you use it that way. 

Love isn’t hateful.

And while we talk about words,

the words you use to talk about yourself. 

Why do people care so much? 

If you would stop being friends with someone because they changed the words they use to refer to themselves you were not their friend. 

When people say “Free speech! Free speech!” and then ban the books we read. 

We will be one character in a series and people will throw a hissy fit because we aren't hidden any more. 

We are here. 

We won’t be silenced. 

Get over it.

When grown adults are afraid of a rainbow.

Grow up.

When grown adults are afraid of their sons wearing pink.

Grow up.

It's a color.

And then these same people turn around and say we are sensitive because we have basic human empathy towards others.

I know things are different now.

But we still are afraid to be ourselves.

People say “Why are you so negative?”

But how am I supposed to be positive

When people like me

Are being bullied

Are being kicked out of their homes

Are being beaten

Are being killed.

How am I supposed to look the other way

When if I didn’t have the family and friends I have

That could be me.  

You can stay afraid of change

But the world will keep moving

With or without you. 

And I know things are a little better now

But is it so wrong

For me to want the same rights

As a gun