Hello and welcome.
I am going to talk briefly about our queer superpower.
Thinking about my coming out experience,
I asked myself,
What do I regard as the most
meaningful change that queer or LGBTQ plus people experience today as compared to many
years ago?
Before I respond,
Let me briefly introduce myself.
My name is Payam Ghasemloo.
I have been providing counseling services for people from all walks of life for over
25 years.
I came out in my late adolescence and I embraced my gay identity with love and
pride.
So looking back,
What has changed today for gay or queer people versus many years
ago?
To me,
Increased queer visibility is a significant change that I have noticed since
my coming out.
We are more visible today than ever before.
I see more same-sex couples holding
hands in public and more TV programs with LGBTQ plus characters.
We even have high government
officials serving the country who are gay and out.
Many of us who feel safe are making
our queer identity more visible.
This is very significant given how hard homophobic and
transphobic politicians are trying to oppress us and take our rights away.
By being visible,
We are challenging them.
Our visibilities are light that we carry everywhere.
This light of
our visibility is a powerful contrast to the darkness they are trying to impose on us.
The
anti-LGBTQ forces have done everything they could to make us feel inferior.
Many LGBTQ people had
to suffer growing up due to hate and discrimination.
Many were made to feel bad about their identity
and had to carry a great deal of shame.
The opposite of shame is pride.
By proudly being
out and visible,
We can shine a healing light on our queer essence.
Making our visibility shine
can be very healing.
Don't let anyone oppress your true essence.
Coming out is our superpower
and they are terrified of it.
So far,
Anti-LGBTQ forces have not been able to stop our vibrant
queer light from shining,
But they are trying.
We need to vote in every election and continue
protecting our rights.
So queer folks,
Let your light of visibility shine and bring hope to these
challenging times.
On a side note,
Those of you who live in an environment that are dangerous to
be out,
Please take care of yourself and ensure your safety.
You can be out to yourself and let
your light shine on the inside.
You know who you are.
You are beautiful just the way you are.
As
the saying goes,
It does get better.
If you need to talk to someone,
I recommend contacting the
Trevor Project for support.
As this talk is ending,
I would like to invite you to connect
your queer essence and let it shine as your queer superpower.
This power is terrifying to homophobic
and transphobic hate groups.
We are a strong,
Fearless,
And loving community.
Thanks for listening.
Be well.
