Like many people in my position, I get numerous requests for speaking engagements. Since my time is limited, I choose them carefully, especially since I do not enrich myself by taking a fee. If I’m offered an honorarium, my request is that it be donated to an LGBT nonprofit. Top on my list is PFLAG (that’s an emotionalattachment, since my mother and father were in one of the first such groups). And then there are student groups, including colleges and universities, since the first organization I founded was New York’s Gay Youth in 1969. And, of course, West Chester University holds a place in my heart; after all, they gave me a lifetime-achievement award.
So last weekend saw me speaking at the New Jersey Gay Straight Alliance State Convention, somewhere in the middle of the Garden State. When I arrived, I was not prepared for all the buses in the parking lot and the standing-room-only crowd.
The plan called for me to deliver the keynote address at the opening session, and they also requested I follow that up with a session on LGBT history. I expected the opening event would be well-attended and the LGBT history talk small, since most in our community really haven’t taken note of the history and the people who have gotten us so far so fast on this road to equality. They seem to only be interested in the issue du jour.
The keynote was well-received, but then it surprised me that an overwhelming number of people had signed up for my LGBT history talk, almost a full auditorium. They not only had done their research on me but on LGBT history itself, and they were ready with questions. Anyone who knows me knows that our mutual history is a passion of mine and I’ve been disappointed that our community does not know, or at times does not care, much about it. But this younger generation? Wow. They are eager and excited about our history. It was a delightful surprise.
But my favorite question was not about history.
A woman stood and said, “I’m a pansexual. Why are we not included in ‘LGBT’?” This led to a discussion with her and another woman who self-identified as a bisexual. After that, I noticed that I had a white board behind me, so I wrote in large letters “LGBT” and asked what else should be included. Here’s what we got: LGBTQQIIOOMPA. I believe that answers the question. And this was from hundreds of mostly 13-18-year-olds.
It really gives you faith for our community’s future.