Truth

"I don't understand how you all live with this. It's like the most unattainable thing. There's no way around it, it just follows you around all the time. You can't ever be honest with anybody, not in real life."

Yes, it can be difficult - and our community has had more than its share of suicides.

But it's not hopeless.

We may not be able to talk about this with others in real life, but we can be honest with ourselves, and with our friends here. We can dream of better days ahead, and act to make those days a reality - if not for ourselves, then for those who are children now and will follow us. We might even dream of vengeance on those who know better yet choose to persecute us for personal gain.

We may not be able to experience much joy in the absence of little girls, but our lives can be meaningful and satisfying in other ways. For a thoughtful person, persecution can even be a means of personal growth - though I wouldn't advise persecution as a method of teaching, as results vary considerably: one man feels pain and determines never again to inflict pain on others, another man feels pain and determines to spread that pain around.

But it does eat at us, a gnawing reminder throughout the day: many of these "friends" would gladly kill you in their ignorance or malice, if they only knew who you were; and others might not be able to stop crying if they could only know the truth.