I thought you guys might like the letter I wrote to a teacher I had in HS. I graduate high school tomorrow, and as I was sending notes to people who helped me along the way, a small card and a picture wasn't going to cut it. Here's what I wrote to him: Dear Mr. (censored), I was sending out thank you notes to the people who've helped me over the last 4 years, and you don't know how much you've helped me. When I first set foot in your class in 2009, I was a scared freshman, intimidated by not just the size of the building, but scared of someone finding out my secret. People have asked me why I watch politics the way I do, and I give them the dodging answer, which is still true, that I watch politics like I watch college football because I find it entertaining. The two sides going at it in a fierce battle, it's amusing, and unlike a football game, the game doesn't ever end. But that's not the whole reason. As a government/law teacher, we had a couple conversations two months ago about two Supreme Court cases that were being argued, Hollingsorth v. Perry, and United States v. Windsor, deciding the constitutionality of a state ban on gay marriage, and the federal Defense of Marriage Act. I had such a keen interest in it because it's personal: I'm gay. Yep, that's right. I'm gay. And I'm okay with being gay. And all I really want is to walk down an aisle with the person I love more than anyone else on this earth. You're married and I know you also DJ weddings, so you can probably relate when most people say this is one of the best days of their lives, right up there with the births of their children. The day you were eternally joined with your beautiful bride. I just want the same thing, only with the guy I meet. I've always said that the only difference between a straight marriage and a same-sex marriage is instead of saying, "I now pronounce you man and wife," the Justice of the Peace says, "I now pronounce you partners in life." I was a scared 14-year-old that day in September of '09, and when I met you, I knew there was at least one person that was accepting and non-judgmental because of the respect and tolerance you had for the transgender girl that was in that class. It wasn't because you had to to keep your job, it was just the way you are. We've come a long way in the last four years. When I started high school in 2009, three states had legal marriage equality. As of this writing, it's 12 and counting. This is a fight we're going to win. As Ludacris put it, "Hate may win some battles, but love wins in the end." So what are my plans for the future? As well as going to school at (university I'm headed to), I am going to get involved in politics. I'm going to volunteer for Mark Schauer's campaign for governor over the next year and a half. Let's make Rick Snyder a one-term nerd. Hail to the victors, and Let's Go Blue! Take care, (AwesomGaytheist)
That's a great letter! It's always great to have teachers that are more open minded. If you ever get a response from him, you should post it.
Thanks guys. He'll really like that, and he might be surprised about my sexuality. I had talked about LGBT issues before, but I had never mentioned that I fell into that group. I honestly can't wait to read his response either.
She dressed like a man, had a man's haircut, and she still identified as a she. The teacher though, he had a wicked sense of humor, was such a smartass, made incredibly funny/sexist comments (Don't argue with me, I'm a man) and if you called him out on it, he'd throw it right back at you. (Did you say sexist, or sexy?) Me and him really hit it off, talking college football, politics, etc. and he's really a great guy all around. A lot of people who hadn't heard my humor (I have a wicked sense of humor. Really gay.) told me I was the straightest gay guy they'd ever met. One girl who I had a brief "no-we're-not-together-but-everybody-else-thinks-we-are" type thing with absolutely refused to believe it when I told her. Another guy was just in stunned silence. Honestly, I think this teacher who must remain nameless might be surprised, but proud that I actually trusted him enough to tell him that. On a school website, he had a class-wide live blog to comment as the results came in during the 2012 election, and that was fun. He said we'll have to get together for 2016 3 years from now.
