Dear Mr. President

                It is with a heavy heart that I write to you this evening.  I am an American woman living in this great country and I enjoy the freedoms that every American should have the right too.  I enjoy the freedoms that those before me have fought for and that are still fought for today.  I have hopes and dreams for the future of not only myself but of this country.  I have hopes and dreams for the children that my husband and I have yet to be blessed with.  I hope that my children will be born healthy, will be able to play in the streets as I once did without worry, and that they will be blessed with the privilege of a good education.  Among the things I hope to promise to my children, I also hope that I can bring them into a world without prejudices, a world made better by the simple act of love, and a world that will see them for the beautiful creatures God intended them to be.

           

     I am saddened when I look at the shambles this country has been reduced to.  There is not a moment in our history when we lived as a single, united nation free of hate for one another.  I have always been very passionate about equal rights for all people regardless of their skin color, religion, or sexual orientation.  I was raised to love everyone and to accept others for who they were regardless of my beliefs or opinion.  I was taught in school that separation of church and state meant that our precious government was not allowed to make a religion and force it upon us; force us to follow one God.  By denying the LGBT community the equal rights they so desperately need are you not forcing them to follow the laws of one religion?  Is it too much to ask that our government, made of men and woman smarter than I, set aside their personal beliefs and opinions long enough to realize that underneath all of our self-imposed titles we are all the same?  We all look the same when these things are stripped away.  Is it so much to ask that my children be given the chance to make choices for themselves knowing that this once beautiful country will support them? 

I understand that, from a religious stand point, homosexuality could be considered wrong according to the bible.  However people are quick to overlook the smallest verses, the easiest of those being, “Judge not least ye be judged” and “Let him free from sin cast the first stone.”  It is also said in the book of Mark 3:25, “A house divided against itself cannot stand.”  Let this be the principle that brings the country together in this great time of need.   I know this country weighs heavy on your shoulders but sometimes the toughest problems have the easiest solutions.  Give the LGBT community what they deserve; equal rights. 

I am writing to you tonight, Mr. President, with the hopes that my voice will be heard.  My hope is not to change the world but rather to be the voice of those not strong enough to speak on their own.  To be the voice of so many who have taken their lives because of the hatred that is prominent in this country, and to be a part of the voices that cry out from the streets.  Can you hear them Mr. President?  They do not cry out to the churches for their blessings, they do not cry out in anger but from pain, and they are crying out to you.  I beg of you, set aside your personal beliefs for just a moment and be the change this country needs.  Your first campaign platform was, “Yes we can” and I believe that if we come together as a nation we can overcome anything.