In this day in age we sometimes lose sight of togetherness and unity. I often make mental notes of the things I see in today’s society. Lately it has come to my attention that social media and the respect of others has become a thing of the past.
While I have only been involved in the entertainment aspect of the LGBTQ community for five years, I’m seeing a divide of unity. Over the past 10 years, I’ve been aware of these changes because of the history and knowledge I’ve gained by the legendary entertainers.
In 1969, a riot began known as "THE STONEWALL RIOTS." This began the Gay Liberation Movement, which took us through the 1960s through the 1980s…basically making it acceptable to live our lives as openly gay or lesbian individuals. The fear of coming has always helped us stick together in the community. We had many clubs that provided safe havens for those who chose to express themselves for who they were. The amount of clubs and venues provided for the LGBTQ community was huge and at one time you could go to several in a night with different forms of entertainment and events. Gay Pride was a march that brought everyone together to celebrate our equal opportunities and spread awareness that while we were different to some we should be given the same respect. A march to declare our freedom.
Recently, I’ve seen a lot of hatred towards others from inside our community…bullying and name calling along with constant criticism. I’m not sure faced a lot of these targeted attacks until the birth of social media in the early 2000s when MySpace and then later as Facebook grew. At first, these sites provided people a place to upload a profile to stay connected with friend and family. Now as a result of these sites, we’re seeing a lot of cyber bullying. Within our community, social media has become a way for people to actively target individuals and not use these sites for what they were originally designed. So I ask myself…is there a solution to this problem?
I have often used Facebook as a way of promoting my business, which is Valerie R. Valentino. However, in our community…jealousy and criticism have over-powered my ability to receive a good turnout at local establishments. Our behavior has hindered the aspect of unity. We as entertainers are the voice of our establishments and actions keep people coming back and bringing new business to these venues.
In addition to bullying, cliques have taken over the feeling of being welcomed. We as a community must include all forms, which takes me back to the Gay Liberation Movement. If more individuals cared and respected everyone, we would have that solid pack that we once had.
Raising awareness in the community is very important to me because it builds a stronger foundation. It hurts me as a person when I hear that people won’t return to a club because there is no love, kindness or humility towards one another.
I must ask you all a question…when is the last time you gave someone a compliment or said something nice to someone? The community must have respect for others and we must build each other up. Some may think this isn’t necessary, but I want to go back to a time where we were happy to see everyone.
I sit back and ask myself how I can be a better person. I’ve made mistakes in my life and I’m far from perfect. I’m one person trying to make a change and we need more to come forward and make change for the better as well. I’m an active supporter of charities and have donated my time to many. That's a small piece to the puzzle. Go beyond that and remember your best moments as a LGBTQ individual. These are first steps to making a better life for everyone. This will create unity and help build a better foundation for everyone.
LOVE ALWAYS
VALERIE R. VALENTINO
MISS GAY OHIO AMERICA 2018
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