It’s about time that Don’t ask – Don’t tell has been asked and told and now, thankfully is said and done. This site and what I do here and in my speeches to kids is all about teaching them to embrace and be proud of the people they are. My message is about accepting our own differences and the differences of others.
Never have I believed that children should be advised by adults to do as they say and not as they do. That’s why it has been so difficult for me to think about our courageous military. These men and women who risk their lives every day to protect our freedom to live in a country that offers us the freedom to be all that we can be. Yet, prior to the repeal of this policy, our gay military were not permitted to be all that they could be. In fact, they were not even permitted to be who they already were.
All I can say is it is better late than never and it is about time! If you don’t have any gay friends or gay children, you might not understand how poignant the story of Randy Phillips is. You might not get how difficult it is for young people to tell parents and friends their “secret.” You might not understand how important it is for them to know that their families and friends will still love them after they know.
Randy is an Air Force soldier who called his dad in Alabama on Tuesday to tell him he was gay and shared the video of the conversation with the world. “You promise you’ll always love me? Period?” Phillips asked his father, his voice shaking. He took a breath and then said, “Dad, I’m gay. I always have been. I’ve known for … forever.” “I still love you son,” his father responded. “It doesn’t change our relationship — and I always will, no matter what, all right? You are my son, and I am very proud of you.”
Adults and especially parents, please learn from Randy Phillips and his dad’s reaction. It could save a life.
This post is for my gay friends for whom I care so much and have the utmost respect.
The most I can do for my friend is simply be his friend.
- Henry David Thoreau
