May I humbly Suggest, that moving forward in our struggles to gain and MAINTAIN our equality in this country and abroad, WE OFFICIALLY ADOPT THIS ANTHEM AS OUR ANTHEM.
It speaks to never giving up, making your TRUTH BE HEARD, through all the clatter and din of our opposers and TEACHING OUR CHILDREN THAT THEY HAVE RIGHTS that MUST NOT BE DENIED!

Respectfully Submitted
Mark Bruzee. Ordained Clergy Person
Executive Producer, LEAP AUDIO
“Where Gay Characters are NORMAL”

Lyrics Below:
Make Them Hear You lyrics

COAL HOUSE:
Go out and tell our story.
Let it echo far and wide.
Make them hear you.
Make them hear you.

How that justice was our battle and how justice was denied.
Make them hear you.
Make them hear you.

And say to those who blame us
For the way we chose to fight
That sometimes there are battles
That are more than black or white.

And I could not put down my sword
When justice was my right
Make them hear you
Make them hear you

Go out and tell our story
To your daughters and your sons.
Make them hear you.
Make them hear you.

And tell them in our struggles
We were not the only ones
Make them hear you.
Make them hear you.

Your sword can be a sermon
or the power of the pen
Teach every child to raise his voice
and then my brothers, then

Will justice be demanded
By ten million righteous men.
Make them hear you.
When they hear you
I’ll be near you, again.

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OK Boys and Girls, and Everyone in between…
What makes an activist? Is it a fierce anger that drives them?
Is it hatred for the status quo that has allowed what they deem as a travesty to occur? Is it sadness for the loss of a loved one in the process of protesting or celebrating a moment in social justice history?

Yes. To all of the above and more. Let me relate a short example from my own life.

When the Original STONEWALL RIOTS happened, I was a fresh faced ALMOST teen of 12 years old. I was NOT a virgin. I had been having “sex” with boys for a couple of years by that point and knew inside me that (1) This was a Major part of who I was and (2) This was something that people would hurt me for, if they found out. [ Editors Note – Remember, this happened in 1969.] We didn’t KNOW about being in the closet because we so far in it we couldn’t see the door.

Then I heard news on the radio and reports on Television of a Police raid on the Stone Wall Inn, in Greenwich Village in NYC. It was July 30th, 1969. The police had arrested homosexuals who were patronizing the Stone Wall Inn and were naming them in the newspapers to shame them. Even at that age, I understood what was going on. Police, for whatever reason, were hurting PEOPLE LIKE ME, for Being people like me. (I Still couldn’t name myself as a homo at that time). I heard that many of these homosexuals were fighting back, some of them being injured rather severely by the police. I WANTED TO BE THERE. I wanted to fight back against what I saw as wrong behaviour by the police.

This was the day the activist in ME was born. I made a silent pledge to myself that from this moment forward I would stand up, IN SOME WAY, for other “homos” like myself.

Fast forward 44 years. I am standing in front of the Reflecting pool at the NY State Fair grounds. about to marry the man I have loved for more than 30 years. We will be LEGALLY Married, Equal in all aspects (or at least 2000+ ways more than the day before) to our heterosexual friends, and it dawned on me. THIS IS A MOMENT OF ACTIVISM! I am marrying my fiance, IN PUBLIC, in front of witness’s I know and do NOT know. That was my first REAL moment of Social Justice activism as a gay man.

It was LIBERATING! It was TERRIFYING! It changed my whole world view.

Now I run an online theatre company that does audio books and plays about Gay, Lesbian, Transgener, Bisexual youth and young adults. We do not stereotype them. They are now the comic second banana’s. They are the stars. They have the adventures aided by their straight friends. And People Listen. They learn that GLTB+ people are the same as they are.

What maked an Activist? Many, many things. But you will know you are an activist in your own time and space.

Just my two cents for today.

It’s the day after the General Election between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump.

What next?

Here are some of Mark’s Thoughts…

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