Today is the International Day Against Homophobia

May 17 is International Fight Homophobia Day . The Canadian based organization says it is a day to reach out to one another.

It got me thinking. As a gay man I see and hear a lot of homophobia all around. Bigots in the news scream “abomination” and spread horrific lies. I hear terms like fag, sissy, pansy every day. I hear people refer to things that they deem silly or undesirable as “gay”. Stereotypes are a real time saver and many folks assume all gay men are flamboyant cross dressers having sex with anyone they can get their painted nails on. Lesbians all play softball and drive Subaru Foresters. Sometimes it gets me down.

But then I remember what my ex-wife Kay told me. My biggest weapon against the bigots and ignorant and self-hating closet cases is to be happy about who I am. By showing the world I am a happy, healthy man who is a professional, a dad, an athlete, a husband, a friend – All the things That make me “me” – and I’m also gay.

The more the world sees us as whole human beings with normal, mundane lives, the harder it is to vilify us.

So today I’m proudly showing all the haters that I matter, not by whining and yelling about injustice, but because I’m a valuable man full of love and happiness and madly in love with a 6 foot 1 Canadian.

How are you combatting homophobia?