Here is a poem I wrote about the detriment of feeling silenced when I was in high school, while outlining how the world treats you like half a person, when you break the expectations of normality:

“They see us as incomplete, and incomplete people only deserve incomplete numbers so they stapled the number six on my forehead as we have six month anniversaries for gay hate crime victims like Matthew Shepherd and Carl Walker Hoover, who were laying in a puddle of blood for six hours, before they were found on the 6th hour of a Wednesday morning where channel 6 News turned death into ratings.

Six for the silence that was purging my ears for tolerance. Six for the little girl that couldn’t come out to the world because of this fear of rejection Six for the suicidal thoughts that cry out from hell screaming freedom. Because the number “6” represents being incomplete…And in this country we have history of tagging misunderstandings as incomplete.”

Exactly three months ago I wrote about Obama’s promise to end Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell. And now upon the arrival of him signing the bill, I stand in appreciation. There are so many instances where I feel that our system of government fails us. Even recently with the dream act shot down, you almost expect for nothing good to come at times. But with this vote, it is one-step closer to society understanding that we are all equal. That building a community is more important than fostering competition. That regardless of our differences in race or sexuality, or even gender, at the end of each day, we all are more alike than we are different. The fact that more than 13,500 service members have been dismissed under the 1993 law makes this victory even more important. Blatant discrimination and stone cold prejudice will always be overcome. Obama released a statement that said:

“It is time to close this chapter in our history, it is time to recognize that sacrifice, valor and integrity are no more defined by sexual orientation than they are by race or gender, religion or creed.”

I agree with the President. The overturning of DADT is one step in the right direction for all those individuals that feel like they can’t be open about the truth they live, the thoughts they have, the life they conceal. Silence kills. Where do we go from here? We need to work towards moving the idea of people not having to hide in the army, to the idea that people not feeling as though they have to hide in society. But it will take more than 100 senators and a signature from the president to make that happen.