As an active member of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community, I am very concerned and disturbed by the GOP gaining a majority in the Senate and the House, knowing that they have never been exactly a friend to that community. So, I”m putting them on notice that the LGBT community will defy and challenge them in any attempt to return to a policy of intolerance and second class citizenship for gay men and women.
We, as of 2014, realize our strength and have tasted the sweet smell of equality and, while personal prejudices may prevail, we remain vigilant and determined to keep what gains the Obama Administration has bestowed upon us. If you or any legislative body wishes to take away those benefits that all Americans should respect and honor, we will challenge and defy those policies with every fiber of our beings.
The LGBT are on the march – we have fought in all your wars, contributed to America”s culture with music, literature and drama. One of us helped you win the war against the Nazis in World War II by an invention that later became the computer.
So, we will ask – no, demand that we be treated with respect and at least tolerance. We will haunt the halls of legislation, remind our legislators that we are here and, if necessary, take to the streets. We will not be moved.
Harold Riley, Clearlake, interim president of the Lake County Stonewall Club
