President Clinton spoke this November at the national dinner of the Human Rights Campaign, an organization dedicated toward working for lesbian and gay rights. Part of the significance of this event was that it was the first time a sitting United States President has addressed a lesbian and gay organization.

I want to quote a piece of Clinton’s speech, a reference to sociological research that has been conducted time and time again on people’s attitudes toward lesbians and gay men.

He said, “On issue after issue involving gays and lesbians, survey after survey shows that the most important determinant of people’s attitudes is whether they are aware — whether they knowingly have had a family or a friendship or a work relation with a gay person.”

These research findings are exciting because they prophesy for us what will happen in the near future as more and more non-gay people come to know those of us who are gay.

The non-gay people of America are journeying the long, arduous path of becoming less afraid of their lesbian and gay neighbors and are beginning to embrace us as good people.

Alternately, those of us who are gay are beginning to come-out to ourselves and to our friends, families and communities in larger numbers, less afraid of being judged by who we are.

We are all learning to overcome our fears.

We are learning that it is okay to be genuine and to allow ourselves to be vulnerable to other people. The outcome of the prophecy will be that someday we will all love each other. Isn’t it about time?

Don Paulsen

North Sioux City, S.D.