Dear BI,
Let me explain my tears. I picked up a copy of the BI on my way out of Laramie today. I read about House Bills 168 and 189 while driving to Big Horn. It took nearly 20 minutes to settle in. When it did I found myself sobbing. Sobbing and driving do not go well together, but somehow I managed. I had to ask myself why.
I have known that I was automatically excluded from heaven since I first understood that I was gay. God had cruelly created me this way. As damaging as that thought is, it is not why I am crying.
My eventual and automatic dismissal at the pearly gates is not nearly as excruciating as the rejection I face here and now. The word faggot burns, but worse so has been the crushing of my hope for a happy future.
Never once have I dared to allow myself to entertain the idea of ‘the one’, let alone be married, happy and in the only place I could ever call home, Wyoming.
I had no idea of the pain I was carrying until today, to never allow myself to dream. I have only ever imagined a job, the adventure of skydiving, of mountain climbing, of material success.
I did not know what I was missing without the dream of my wedding day, in Big Horn, or maybe to have a husband and family. I may one day have the opportunity to pen my wedding invitation to my parents. Whether or not they are willing to attend remains to be seen.
Please call your state representative so that I may have the chance to dream.
Yours truly,
Hal
