On Friday night, I stopped at an In-N-Out fast food restaurant here in Northern California and struck up a conversation with a high schooler named Jeremy who was taking orders at the counter. He was friendly, open, innocent, and quite likely to be gay...at least in my estimation. With a perfect smile and gums, Jeremy was nerdy and naturally kind teenager, just coming into his own.
His goodness and innocence touched my heart, and without saying a word, I was instinctively sending him blessings and wishes for a life filled with love and deep connections. In our exchange over the counter, it felt like we briefly recognized "the other" in our selves -- for him, recognizing that there is a good and big life beyond high school, and for me, seeing parts of my 16-year-old kind and nerdy self in Jeremy.
We all benefit when different generations truly see and acknowledge one another, in small and big ways. As an LGBT activist, I keep the Jeremys in my mind as I advocate for a less homophobic world: I want all the young people to inherit a better place to live.
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