Be True to Yourself

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I have always had such a positive relationship when it comes to the LGBT community. Since I was a little kid, my parents would always preach acceptance of everyone and anyone. My town was very open and accepting. I was so proud of where I lived, anyone could be anyone they want to be and were almost guaranteed to find their place where their felt happy and belonged. I never thought that there could have been a time where people were unaccepting, or even places that still were throughout the world.

One year, I went on a family vacation to Sanibel Island in Florida. It was maybe 7 pm on a Saturday night and we had biked into the town and were sitting eating dinner at a little diner off the main road. We saw the sweetest couple walking down the street. Two men were walking down the street holding hand with their milkshakes. An elderly couple were speed walking and went straight past them. As soon as they walked past, I watched them turn around and make the absolute nastiest face I have ever seen. They began walking even quicker, constantly looking back until they could turn the corner and disappear out of sight.

I had never seen something like that. I had never seen someone be disgusted by someone for just holding hands. I was only 9 or 10 at the time, but I realized I was so sheltered but such a welcoming community I had never taken into account the life outside of the beautiful community I lived in.

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