LGBTQ+ community needs support of allies

Re: “We’re going back in time on LGBTQ+ equality,” June 11 commentary

Thanks again, Denver Post, for publishing Danny Westneat’s piece on the repeat of the attacks on LGBTQ+ persons, just like in the 1980s and ’ 90s. Those of us who lived through that era recall hate taking the forefront of Colorado’s politics with the passage of Amendment 2. Such a dark time allowed the politics of fear to control the narrative. Colorado was blacklisted by many organizations for years, even after Amendment 2 was overturned.

The hate described in Sammamish, Wash., is happing around the country. Why? Fear. Fear of the unknown, fear of change, fear of loss of control. Even those who espouse doctrines that teach love and tolerance engage in the vilest of remarks, even acts of violence toward easy targets. All now directed, again, at LGBTQ+ persons.

We are easy to attack. We are a small minority that is insufficient to form a majority voting block. Without enough power to effect change, we rely on the kindness, tolerance and respect of others, our allies. Yet we face vitriol daily, such as in the small Washington community — just for existing.

Equal rights for everyone does not mean taking away rights from anyone. No person should have to fight for the right to merely exist. But fear drives folks to listen to false narratives. Fear drives normally kind people to abandon decency in order to dominate minorities. This illusion of control salves their angst over their fear of the unknown.

Yes, we have a ton of work to do. “We” means everyone. To tolerate, to respect, to show our children that we practice what we preach. Then, we will have built a world for everyone to live within.

— Jamie Buechler, Westminster