Something in the Water...

The past several years have been rather amazing for LGBT people.  Just this year, public opinion shifted to favor marriage equality.  More states have enacted marriage equality legislation.  The military has eliminated its "Don't ask, don't tell policy".  DOMA will be argued before the Supreme Court.
It seems every month a well known celebrity is breaking silence and openly discussing their own same-sex relationships.  Jodi Foster, Suzi Orman, Anderson Cooper and many more are no longer afraid that their careers will be ruined if they are known.
Is it something in the water?  Has the secret "gay agenda" finally taken hold?
No, there's nothing in the water and if LGBT people have an agenda, it's simply to have the same rights afforded straight couples. 
"Every gay person must come out.... Once they realize we are indeed their children, we are indeed everywhere, every myth, every lie, every innuendo will be destroyed once and for all." -HARVEY MILK
It's long been believed that approximately 10% of the population is gay, lesbian, bi-sexual or transgender.  If you know 1000 people, 100 of them are likely gay or lesbian. Within your family, 1 in every 10 are likely LGBT.  If you did not know that, it's because no one talked about it.  We all bought into the myths, the lies and the innuendos and everyone remained silent.
Just as Harvey Milk predicted, as more LGBT people are breaking their silence, the myths, lies and innuendos are being destroyed.
It will be very hard for some people to shed those myths, and to stop believing the lies.  For some, these are deeply held beliefs intertwined in religious teachings.  These people will continue to believe the world is flat until and unless they walk around the world and don't fall off the edge.  It will be the next generation who make the greatest strides.
Meanwhile, put your seat belts on because the greater the push for change, the greater those resisting change will push back.  We're going to hear some interesting, and sometimes odd, discussion as we get closer to the Supreme Court ruling on DOMA.  Both sides have fought very hard and no one likes being on the loosing end of an argument.  No matter which way the ruling goes, there will be outrage.
It's important for everyone to understand that LGBT people are not going away and will never go away.  The majority of Americans now understand that LGBT people have lived under a cloud of myths and lies.  Those myths and lies cannot be re-applied.
If you're hanging onto those myths and lies, you may as well believe the world is flat. 

Do Tell

Today, the "Don't ask, Don't tell" policy for the military was repealed. We will no longer require that people who want to serve need to lie.
I lied. I am an Air Force Veteran and lied so I could serve. And when my Top Secret security clearance was awarded, my superior asked how I felt about homosexuals in the military having a top secret security clearance. I answered, "There are not supposed to be homosexuals in the military." He expressed concern that if there was, and if they had a clearance, they could be blackmailed.
Today, the threat of blackmail was removed.
I served honorably and was never the focus of a blackmail situation. It would have been devastating to me if my service was cut short. I would have chosen to protect my country first. The Air Force changed my life. It gave me discipline and courage. It launched me on my career path.
Repealing "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" was the right thing to do. Now we need to repeal the "Don't ask, Don't Tell" attitude from our national attitude. Be. Do. Contribute. More important than telling is showing who you really are.