It is time for me to let all of you know something. There were a lot of people I wanted to tell in person before I revealed this to everyone else, so now it's time to let the rest of you know.
I'm gay.
There, I said it. It's out there. I know that I must be executed now according to Leviticus 20:13, but before that happens, here's a little Q & A based on some of the most common responses I have received upon revealing this about myself. And yes, I know that some of these are not actually questions, but statements. Get over it.
Q: Are you serious?
A: Yes.
Q: Are you still attracted to women? (Also phrased as, "Just HOW gay are you?")
A: I am still attracted to women.
Q: So, you're bi then?
A: This is a little tough to explain, and some people don't get it. Since I am still attracted to women, I guess that technically makes me bisexual. And even though I have been in serious debates about this recently, I believe most (not all) people are bisexual to some degree. That doesn't mean they identify as bisexual, though. Even though I am still attracted to women, I am way more interested in men, and I do not identify as bisexual.
Q: How long have you known?
A: I've known that there was some attraction to other guys since sometime around high school. I've managed to suppress and hide it (even from myself) for a very long time. Occasionally, I would catch myself looking at an attractive guy a little too long, then look away, hoping nobody else noticed. It has only been very recently that I fully accepted and embraced this part of who I am.
Q: There's something wrong with you. (Yes, this was actually said to me.)
A: I am the same person that I was before you learned this about me. Remember all of the great times we had together, generic friend? Well, those memories aren't going to go away now that you know I'm gay. Whatever you thought about me before (good or bad), go ahead and keep thinking that, with one minor alteration that probably will not affect you in any way.
Q: I already knew that about you.
A: Congratulations!
Q: I love you, but I don't support that lifestyle.
A: I really, really, REALLY hate the word "lifestyle" in this context. I'm not living any particular lifestyle. I'm just being me. Perhaps what you mean to say is that you think gay sex is icky, or that you think it's a sin (and if you think that, read this). But there is no more a particular "gay lifestyle" than there is a "straight lifestyle." There are a myriad of people who identify as gay or lesbian, and there is not one particular "lifestyle" that applies to all of them.
Q: You're not really gay.
A: This is a non-starter to any conversation you want to have about this. You may express your opinions, and I will try my best to keep calm and respond in a respectful way. But you are not in a better position than me to tell me whether I am gay or straight. There is literally nowhere to go with this conversation if you cannot accept what I am saying to you at face value.
Q: Are you sure?
A: Yes.
Q: Are you going to try to recruit me now?
A: Yes, it is required as part of the homosexual agenda.
I am well-aware of the fact that I will likely lose a few Facebook friends because of this. I might actually be sad to see some of them go. For those of you who have decided to stick around, thank you, and if you have any questions not seen above, feel free to ask.
Thursday, January 4, 2018
Police Secrecy
For the life of me, I do not understand this need that police officers apparently have to defend other police officers, no matter what.
As an attorney, I don't want there to be bad attorneys out there practicing law. Those attorneys give all of us a bad reputation. If an attorney violates the law or the Rules of Professional Responsibility, I want that attorney to be sanctioned appropriately. And if it's serious enough, I want that attorney to be disbarred.
For some reason, though, it seems to be just the opposite with police officers. Whenever there is any accusation of wrong-doing on the part of a police officer, it seems that other police officers will believe whatever that officer says, and defend whatever they see the officer do on video.
Police officers don't seem to understand that their jobs are made easier when they are dealing with a community that trusts them. People are more willing to come forward to discuss an incident if they trust the officers involved. But as more people realize that police officers are willing to lie for each other, community support for them will go down, juries will believe what they say less and less, and conviction rates will drop as a result.
A few years ago, a mentally ill man was shot (but not killed) by a Dallas police officer. The officer claimed the man had a knife raised and was walking towards him in an aggressive manner. The officer had no choice but to fire his weapon. That man was charged with the attempted assault of the police officer. What the officer didn't know when he wrote the report was that a residential security camera recorded the whole thing, and the video clearly showed the mentally ill man standing still, with his hands to his side, nowhere near the officer.
Now, here's the kicker to that story. The officer who did the shooting had a partner with him. That second officer arrived in the same squad car, got out, and saw the whole thing happen. Instead of going to his superior and reporting the truth about what the first officer had done, this officer also wrote a report, confirming that the man came toward them in an aggressive manner, with a knife raised. In other words, the second cop lied to cover up for an officer who shot a man who posed absolutely no threat to them.
With not one, but two police officers saying that this man was coming at them with a knife, they would have had no problem convicting this man of a very serious charge, and probably sending him to prison for a very long time. Luckily, the video cleared the man and the officer was charged with shooting him (I don't know the outcome of that case).
Frankly, I'm a little tired of hearing the argument that not all cops are bad, and that it's unfair to paint them all with that same brush. Once I hear that police officers are reporting the inappropriate conduct of other police officers, I'll accept that argument. Perhaps there is a story somewhere about a police officer who reported the bad actions of a fellow officer who otherwise would have got away with it. I have never heard of such a story. Until that becomes the norm, and police officers stop covering up for each other -- sometimes to ridiculous stretches of the imagination and logic -- they are all responsible for the massive amount of distrust more and more people are placing in them.
As an attorney, I don't want there to be bad attorneys out there practicing law. Those attorneys give all of us a bad reputation. If an attorney violates the law or the Rules of Professional Responsibility, I want that attorney to be sanctioned appropriately. And if it's serious enough, I want that attorney to be disbarred.
For some reason, though, it seems to be just the opposite with police officers. Whenever there is any accusation of wrong-doing on the part of a police officer, it seems that other police officers will believe whatever that officer says, and defend whatever they see the officer do on video.
Police officers don't seem to understand that their jobs are made easier when they are dealing with a community that trusts them. People are more willing to come forward to discuss an incident if they trust the officers involved. But as more people realize that police officers are willing to lie for each other, community support for them will go down, juries will believe what they say less and less, and conviction rates will drop as a result.
A few years ago, a mentally ill man was shot (but not killed) by a Dallas police officer. The officer claimed the man had a knife raised and was walking towards him in an aggressive manner. The officer had no choice but to fire his weapon. That man was charged with the attempted assault of the police officer. What the officer didn't know when he wrote the report was that a residential security camera recorded the whole thing, and the video clearly showed the mentally ill man standing still, with his hands to his side, nowhere near the officer.
Now, here's the kicker to that story. The officer who did the shooting had a partner with him. That second officer arrived in the same squad car, got out, and saw the whole thing happen. Instead of going to his superior and reporting the truth about what the first officer had done, this officer also wrote a report, confirming that the man came toward them in an aggressive manner, with a knife raised. In other words, the second cop lied to cover up for an officer who shot a man who posed absolutely no threat to them.
With not one, but two police officers saying that this man was coming at them with a knife, they would have had no problem convicting this man of a very serious charge, and probably sending him to prison for a very long time. Luckily, the video cleared the man and the officer was charged with shooting him (I don't know the outcome of that case).
Frankly, I'm a little tired of hearing the argument that not all cops are bad, and that it's unfair to paint them all with that same brush. Once I hear that police officers are reporting the inappropriate conduct of other police officers, I'll accept that argument. Perhaps there is a story somewhere about a police officer who reported the bad actions of a fellow officer who otherwise would have got away with it. I have never heard of such a story. Until that becomes the norm, and police officers stop covering up for each other -- sometimes to ridiculous stretches of the imagination and logic -- they are all responsible for the massive amount of distrust more and more people are placing in them.
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