My Motivation

Let me start off by saying *whew* what a week this has been. It’s a good thing I’m not at NOLA anymore or else I would have downed way too many Hurricanes to get over all the stress.

Now, I’m not going to rehash everything that has happened, because we’ve all been there enough times and beaten that horse to death numerous times over. So, why am I writing this, you ask? Well, there is one subject I want to touch on, it’s why I write in this genre and the issue that has come up about why I am such an adamant supporter of GBLTQ issues. That can be summed up with one picture.

That’s my son, Cody. Pretty cute, huh? Okay, maybe it’s the proud mother in me, but I just think he’s perfect. Also, as most of you also already know, he’s my hero. I want to take that one step farther by adding I think all LGBTQ kids are my heroes.

They face bullying, hatred, and intolerance everywhere they go, but they still manage to smile, find good in this world, and push on. Now, I’m straight, but I was introduced to this scene via my son, I met some of the most wonderful people ever and I am such a richer person for it.

I have also seen the worst in humanity. I saw how showers had to be put in the youth area of a local LGBTQ center because so many of these kids are turned away from their families and are on the streets. I have heard of transgender teens being beaten up for using the “wrong” bathroom. I’ve heard the tears of a mother as she talked about how her son and his partner were torn apart due to DOMA.

Each one of these incidents broke my heart, but it also made me determined that no matter how hard it is or what I have to do, I will try to make a difference. I really want to take in every one of these kids and adopt them, but since I only have a three-bedroom home, that’s really not an option. So, I decided to use the best weapon an author has at my disposal—my words.

A few have recently accused me of being so adamant about my views just to garner more sales. Yeah, I’ll admit it hurt that some people thought so low of me. Especially since I’m pretty non-confrontational, at times to the point where it’s a fault.

I just want to reassure you that nothing could be farther from the truth. I am so passionate about this because I am a mother and when I see the world trying to hold down my son, deny him his rights and call him horrible names, I am going to fight back. I would have the same attitude if I were still working at a bank, but as a writer I now have a chance to reach a broader audience.

I have never kept my private life off record. I share pictures of myself and family, plus talk about my real life every day. Some have warned me that this could be dangerous and we did have a small scare last week. It all turned out okay and now that I have Cody home and safe, all is well.

I asked him if he was resentful of the attention coming his way. He just gave me that smile of his and shrugged it off. But, like I said, he’s my hero. He also, along with my sister and friends, have been the ones who get me through tough times.

So, I’m going to continue to do what I have been doing—be a mother, a wife, a writer and an ally for GBLTQ rights. If I have to take some lumps along the way then I will, just so long as I know that maybe…just maybe, someday I will be able to make a difference.