we are still here.

tears and blood flow
in the same current
from our brothers & sisters
our brothersisters
our sisterbrothers
our in between &
our all encompassing.


we fight with blindfolds
over our eyes
tape over our mouths
arms & legs shackled.

but we are still here.


we grew too old too soon.

we've seen death;
we've seen birth.


we've marched down streets
& hidden in the dark.

we've built walls to protect ourselves
& we've broken down walls
to join communities together.

we are still here.


we've felt sticks & stones
& names,
we've felt bats.

we've felt misguided eyes
judging from afar,
we've been judged in our own homes.


we've been told we don't know what we want
we've been told that we love wrong.


yet we march & cry out
& sing songs
of victory.


& we mourn
& hide in our homes
& lick our wounds.


& when the dust dies down,
when our fallen are counted
& their names whispered into the night
from the choked up throats of
mothers and fathers
lovers & friends
strangers & cousins..

when the clouds clear,
we are still here.

happy isn't any fun

larry has been 15 for one month
and he's looking down the barrel of a gun
he's got a crush on a peer
and now that peer says "run"
because it's deadly
to love differently

they say gay means happy
well then happy isn't any fun..

across the nation girls are kissing girls
and boys are kissing boys
and it's never that simple

and it is.

love is never that simple.

and it is.

love is like oxygen
breathe it in

they're denying us oxygen
they point their fingers
and they call our love
sin.

we're not fighting for our right to party
we're fighting for our right to marry
we're fighting to carry on traditions
like our forefathers
had before us

we're your doctors
and teachers
preachers
and lawyers
we're constructive members
of society
even though society continues
to shun us
and tell us that we're done
as they sign another bill
that denies us equal rights.

and still we
still we
and even still we
fight

we are not second-class citizens
we won't just go where you
can
fit
us
in
we demand equality
and we won't settle for anything less.

we're told they've done the best that they can
that their hands are tied
but it's all smoke and mirrors
and lies
because they don't want to try
for us.
but they expect us
to do what they want.

we're second class citizens
still you take our taxes
still you want us to vote
even still you want us
to abide by your laws.

so instead of face to face,
hand in hand,
we stand back to back..

it's a draw.

count to 10
and shoot on nine
it'll be just fine
you can rest your head again
they're just second class citizens

you teach your children hate
now look at what your lessons
can create.

why do lives exist
if you're just going to let them drown?
abide by our rules
and then
blow
blow
blow
the man down

larry has been 15 for one month
and he's staring down the barrel of a gun.

they say gay means happy
well then happy isn't any fun..

when will this be done?