It’s right for me to exist. Even as a Gay man.

My life is mine — to value on my terms — and I reject all others.

(This was originally posted on my personal account on X on April 7, 2022.)

Many years ago, before Lawrence v. Texas, before Obergefell v. Hodges, there were those who called Gay men like me unconvicted felons and sought the death penalty for sodomy, which I took as a direct threat against my life. I knew I had to stand up for my life and my right to it, and learn how to say to those who wanted me to beg for my right to live: “No. I won’t.”

I knew that in order to do that, I had to learn to stand up against those who would deny me the right to freely choose my own values for myself, in this country established as a place where people were free to live their own lives on their own freely-chosen terms. I knew I had to stand against those who tried to pretend that this state was not part of that country, who tried to pretend that this country was not founded on freedom for the sake of freedom. I knew that I would have to stand against those who tried to pretend that “life” when applied to human beings did not mean human life, and was not something that could only be defined in terms of that which is required for human beings to live as human.

Now I see those who would deny to women their right to their own lives and bodies, those who would use their religion as an excuse to deny to all of us the right to freely choose our own values for ourselves, and who seek to use the power of government to force their values on all of us. I see those who seek to re-criminalize abortion and will not stop there in their pursuit of government force and their lust for power, and I say to them that I stand against you, you who lie to yourselves that what you seek is freedom when I know that what you really want is only the freedom to use force against whomever you wish, you who say you stand for rights when the only person you want to have any rights is yourself. It is you who are the threat to freedom and rights, not me.

I am proud to say that my life belongs to me and I am the only person who has any right to it. I am proud to give my respect to those who respect me. I respect the rights of others and expect others to respect mine in return. I ask of my country the freedom to associate only with those who accept my terms, and I condemn those who would force me to live otherwise. I stand against all those who assert a claim to my life and would seek to violate my right to it.

My life is mine — to value on my terms — and I reject all others.

I cede my right to self-determination to no one.