Make the choice to live in peace

Being anywhere on the spectrum of LGBTQ+ is not a choice, it’s a condition of life that some people are born with. Patterns of behavior toward others, on the other hand, like kindness or cruelty are choices. We’re seeing a lot of cruelty these days directed at LGBTQ+ people, specifically trans people, and the thing about patterns of behavior is they tend to reinforce themselves the more they’re repeated. Every year we see more bills being introduced which heap more cruelty on trans people. It will never be enough because new cruelties are always necessary to justify the cruelties already inflicted.

This is the downward spiral we’re in and the only answer is kindness and understanding. People often ask, “Why can’t we live together in peace?” As far as I can see, it’s because we’re simply not making the choice to do so. But we could, and isn’t it time we started?

Bryan Davis

Cedar Rapids