Greg Bee

COME OUT

I know you're not sure where you are, but if you open your closet door just a little, you'll see the light from the kitchen. Come out among us—find yourself here. Coffee aroma is wafting down the hall to lift you up. There's tea if that's your preference but I can't speak to its backbone like I can the coffee's. Take a full-bellied whiff and come out.

The Christian Right is wrong.

Hateful religions and scared homophobes and closeted politicians are wrong and neither they nor your parents are here, so step lively down that hall. There's a warm white robe on the back of your door and fuzzy slippers right there on the floor that may not fit you now, but you'll grow into them. The first few steps might feel chilly and uninviting but fellowship and fluffy robes will warm you soon enough. Leave your hair like it is; we're not judging you here. It's just breakfast.

There's crisp bacon in the skillet, warm hash browns on the back burner and I don't wear a gingham apron every day, so come find your place at this table; there is plenty of room.

Queer community is this: at some point we all decided that running from our lives was exhausting so we stopped.

It's exhausting. Stop.

Stop running from your life and take a step toward it.

Come out.

We're here...all of us...around the table. There's a lesbian over there wondering if she can build an outfit around soccer cleats and a gay man next to her trying to figure out how his football buddies will mix with his dance club buddies. On the other side is a transgender man feeling what it's like to pack for the first time and next to him a mostly straight woman who gets a little tiny tingle around women in red boots.

Come out.

There're warm biscuits from the oven and sausage gravy on the sideboard and a chair for you between the father of 3 who has shelved his self-loathing long enough to join us and the mother of 4 who just this morning discovered that she's deserving of joy.

There's room for you at this table with us and we're waiting for you to come out.

It's a new day. 

(Originally posted October 1, 2010)

To contact Greg Bee send an email to: gbrisendine@gmail.com