31 Days, 31 Icons: October is GLBT History Month

America's youth will be participating in history this October as they converge on Washington DC to participate in the National Equality March.  The National Equality March LGBTQ Event will occur October 10-11, 2009 in DC.

Here young people at Equality Alabama's Equality Weekend gather between sessions.  I don't know how many of our local young people are going to DC but if they do, for many of them it will be their first trip to our nation's capital, and their first time to participate in a protest.

The youth are the truly innocent and forgotten victims of our national policies of homophobia, bigotry and hate. 50% of all gay and lesbian youth report that their parents reject them due to their sexual orientation, 26% are forced to leave home because of it. Over 30% of all reported teen suicides each year are committed by gay and lesbian youth. 34% of students who described themselves as gay, lesbian or bisexual reported being the target of anti-gay harassment or violence at school or on the way to or from school.

As we gather in Washington, we are not just fighting for love and equality in the present, but also for their future.

They are the kids in America. They deserve better.