Love and Respect on National Coming Out Day 2010

I’m straight, and I respect LGBT folk unreservedly as equal human beings.

Theirs is not a life by choice any more than my life as a straight man is a conscious decision.

They love as we all love, and they should not be made to suffer for the natural love that they feel.

They deserve equal rights and protection under the law.

Please show love and respect to your friends, family, employees, and constituents regardless of their sexual orientation.

Life is too short and precious to disparage anyone’s fundamental right to love another person or restrict their access to legal benefits and privileges straight people enjoy.

Published by Jason W. Ellis

I am an Associate Professor of English at the New York City College of Technology, CUNY whose teaching includes composition and technical communication, and research focuses on science fiction, neuroscience, and digital technology. Also, I coordinate the City Tech Science Fiction Collection, which holds more than 600 linear feet of magazines, anthologies, novels, and research publications.