Hop for Awareness, Visiblity and Equality

 Please check out the official page for the hop here.

At the end of the post, you'll find a list of all participating authors who would love to have you drop - or better: hop - by. Have fun!

If there’s anything to learn from history and politics, it’s that we can never let our guard down, no matter how good things might be personally, at this moment. Progress is never completely linear and unhindered…There will always be those people who want to go back to “simpler times” when prejudice and discrimination was widely tolerated.

Through visibility, information and education, many hearts and minds have been changed, but not all want to change. Some couldn’t care less about logic, or numbers that prove there’s no way to justify the recent bathroom paranoia. If you take a closer look, it’s incredibly cynical that these are coming from the same people who casually accept endangering women’s lives by denying them access to reproductive health care.

I believe we have to accept that there are some we can’t reach by appealing to logic and kindness, and find ways to protect ourselves—by trying our best not to let these people have power.

The single most important thing is probably our vote. It’s not just about one candidate on any level of government, it’s about the domino effect that majorities have, up to decisions made in our highest courts.

Dialogue is important, but it’s also healthy to identify when you need to walk away from an individual, and your relationship with them, knowing it does you more harm than good. This can be hard to do, especially when the person in question is someone close to you.

Overcoming differences within our community is another way to move forward, because whenever there’s in-fighting, there’s always a third party benefiting, and in this case, the stakes are much too high.

These days, whenever companies come up with inclusive measures or commercials, hate groups cry for a boycott. On one of the articles regarding this subject, one commenter said “Stop using us to sell your stupid [product].”

Really? What is the alternative? Keeping LGBT folks out of commercials, making them invisible again? I want to see LGBT couples and families EVERYWHERE, in every commercial, TV and movie. Sure, the person has the right to voice their opinion, but what if that particular commercial actually helps viewers to correct their idea of “normal”? What if it brings more people onto the same page?

We need to keep talking to each other, so the common goal doesn’t get lost in misunderstandings. The term “queer” can be empowering to some of us, incredibly hurtful to others. It’s quick and easy to start a shouting match on social media, but why not avoid it in the first place by listening to each other?

When bigoted minds, in it for power, money or ideology, win, we all lose. All of us who believe in equality, logic and kindness, have that in common, and it’s something we should always keep in mind.

 If you'd like to check out my books, you can find a list here at the Lesbian Authors Guild. 

I'll draw 2 winners for an ebook each from the commenters. Enjoy hopping! :)