It Matters
By: Judi Marcin
, a bathroIt Matters
It matters that it happened in June It matters that it happened at a club It matters that is was Latinx night It matters that people still see us as them instead of we It matters that people use god as an excuse to kill us, harm us, beat us, terrorize us, ____ ____ (fill in the blanks) It matters that we have a president who actually understands queer history It matters that so many others don’t It matters that we have to write ‘”She lives with her family in Memphis” on the book flaps of our art rather than “She lives with her wife.” It matters that we cannot donate blood It matters that we can be fired from our jobs--denied housing, healthcare, a wedding cake, a pizza, a bathroom. It matters that every letter of LGBTQAI matters It matters that we still have to come out every single day to coworkers, friends, students, teachers, nurses, doctors, lawyers, judges and juries It matters that we can’t. It matters that tranny and faggot and dyke are insults It matters that those words are used as weapons It matters that we are seen as a spectacle It matters that we live right next door It matters that others get to define what love and sex is It matters that we don’t It matters that we have always been part of us It matters that we need to stand up for ourselves every single day It matters when we have allies It matters when we don’t It matters that language is fluid It matters that they is a singular pronoun It matters when we use the right words It matters when we use the wrong ones It matters that we are here It matters that many believe we don’t deserve to be For those who aren’t clear why all of this matters-- Then you need our stories as much as we do |
Here are some of the stories for our young readers by writers who make a difference in this world: