Why at our age are we still protesting?
Why do we feel the need?
Because the fire of hope for a better world still burns inside us…
and because it’s never too late to plant a seed.
If we can plant one seed of understanding
help just one person open their eyes and see
perhaps one day we’ll stop ignoring
and whitewashing our history.
If we can plant one seed of knowledge and wisdom
help just one person understand
then minds will be free to be opened
and books will never be banned.
If we can plant one seed of love and acceptance
help just one person to open their eyes and see
then the world begins to be a better place for the LGBTQ+
and me
We protest to plant one seed in one heart
because in our hearts we know
unless we plant that seed
it has no chance to grow.
That’s why at our age we’re still protesting
and we will keep protesting as long as it takes…
although we are protesting less for us now
and more for our children’s and grandchildren’s sake.
If it's any consolation to
If it's any consolation to you, life is better for LGBTQ+ persons than it has been for almost the entirety of human history - at least in the western world (I can't claim up or down for most elsewhere, don't know enough). When I was a kid, it was still relatively risky to step out into the world for friends who merely appeared to others to be gay (I imagine you've seen more and worse of this than I have, in your life). That, for the most part, has changed. It could be better yet - and I hope it will be, right along with you. But, also, every grouping of people, and I mean every single group, needs to learn how to treat each other better. At this point, as far as I can see, we spend too much time infighting between identity groups and dragging each other down, back and forth, while the smallest group - the ruling class - gets richer and more powerful. We get played against one another, and the greatest protest we have yet to successfully make is to stand together against it. All the best to you, you write beautifully, as always.