I was at the Midwest BLGT College Conference in Madison a few weekends ago. This was the second year that I attended the conference. The first time was last year when it was held at UIC. You know when the vibrations feel right, when there is a certain something that says that this is the way things should be. That is the way I felt last year at the conference and that is the way I felt this year as well.

Young people don't have the same hang-ups that people of my generation do. The students attending the conference know who they are; they embrace their queerness. They don't have to go around proclaiming their gay pride, they just live it. I love these young people. They are the future, they are the leaders, and they hold out promise for a world that we can only dream of.

This year I was invited to participate in a panel discussion on Trans Issues and Inclusion. One thing that I found out about the young people in the audience… they get it! Everywhere else that I go to speak, I need to spend half of my time convincing the audience that the "T" really does belong in the "GLBT" community.

It was a non-issue for these folks. They just wanted to know how we could proceed with inclusive human rights protections for all of us. They would sooner cut off their… well something… than leave out a major portion of the community.

There was a very interesting and insightful question from the audience. It had to do with the way we as GLBT people are portrayed in the media, and the way we to portray ourselves in our struggle for equal rights… always as the poor victims of some malevolent societal force that reduces our humanity and leaves us helpless. As she was asking the question, I thought about how I had always played up the victim approach in my own human rights effort, focusing on the hate crimes, the employment inequities, the discrimination in medical care, and on and on.

At first I was going to respond that there was no other way to get our story to the forefront. But then I realized that by saying that, I was victimizing myself. Of course there is another way! So here's what I said.

There is a once in a lifetime opportunity coming up for us to present ourselves to the media, to the world, in the true light of our humanity. It is called "Equality Begins at Home". During the week of March 21-27 (and actually starting on March 19 here in Chicago), all across our country, in all 50 states, gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people will be taking to the streets, to the churches, to the state capitols in a show of unity behind human rights and freedom for all.

This is going to be a media event of major proportions, and it will all be positive. We will not be coming out as victims, nor will we be acting as caricatures of ourselves. The media and the public will see us as people, maybe some of them for the first time. It's about our humanity, it's about our families, it's about our real role in society… our place in business, education, religion, politics, labor… our contributions in the arts, medicine, law… and at home.

Equality really does begin at home, but only if you come out and be part of it. Please come to the rally in Daley Center Plaza on March 19 at noon. And please make that trek to Springfield on March 24 to show your elected officials not that you are a victim who needs protection, but you a part of the fabric of society, and will not remain hidden anymore.

Don't leave it all up to the young people of the world to be the leaders. All of us are needed to make Equality Begins at Home a reality. Call the Illinois Federation for Human Rights at 773-477-7173, or write to me for details.

Miranda Stevens-Miller, Chair of It's Time Illinois welcomes your comments at MirandaSt1@aol.com