Remember those old sitcoms
Some of us grew up with
How they used to make us laugh
When life for some seemed so carefree

All in the family, Barney Miller, the Jeffersons
Those were what showed for me after school
And I got used to them and the stories they told
Creating a mindset in me that lasted decades

But understanding life better today
My views have changed
And my heart has softened
It saddened me wondering how I'd have felt
If I was gay and had to watch those shows

The bigotry was so blatant and cruel
The words, the treatment, the ridicule
I watched the disrespect so open in the 70s
And felt so sad for my gay friends who endured it

I cry for you all now
How that all must have hurt
Breaking your spirit just turning on a TV
And not knowing if your feelings would be crushed

Today many of my friends are gay
I recently came out as trans
And I find myself deep within the LGBT community
In heart and mind, body and soul

Life is a road with so many turns
And the point of this is
That what we thought we knew about ourselves yesterday
Often leads us to a life today so different we never would have imagined it

Let go the ugliness of the past
And embrace the beauty and wonder of today
Get to know anyone you don't understand
And love and care for them, and you'll see inside we're all the same

by Lj Mark 2015