“I have come to believe, over and over again, that what is important to me must be spoken, made verbal and shared, even at the risk of having it bruised or misunderstood.” - Audre Lorde

Every day I am reminded of our incredible herstories. I am also reminded of our deafening silence. To be silent can render the comfort of invisibility. But when did being invisible become enough? Silence can temporarily protect us. Silence can, however, kill us.

Yesterday, CNN news anchor Don Lemon came out publicly as gay.

“I think it would be great if everybody could be out,” Lemon told the New York Times. “But it’s such a personal choice. People have to do it at their own speed. I respect that. I do have to say that the more people who come out, the better it is for everyone, certainly for the Tyler Clementis of the world.” (Tyler Clementi is the Rutgers University student who died by suicide last fall.) “I think if I had seen more people like me who are out and proud, it wouldn’t have taken me 45 years to say it,” he continued, “to walk in the truth.”

Like Lemon stated, everyone’s journey to coming out (and speaking out) is personal. I respect the lesbian mother who is protective of her child. The concerned lover who wants her partner out of harm’s way. But it is essential to our survival that we document and proclaim our existence. “It’s a struggle but that’s why we exist, so that another generation of lesbians of color will not have to invent themselves, or their history, all over again,” Audre Lorde once said.

If we do not bear witness today, one day our children, their children or someone else’s child will have to. In “We Will Not Be Unwritten: Preserving Queer Women of Color History” Spectra Speaks writes, “We all need to do a better job of telling our own stories, and in effect, writing ourselves (back) into history.” If we each tell our story, together we can create a resounding chorus that unapologetically asserts, “We are here.”

How can we expect people to see us as equals if they never see us? How can we demand people listen if we never speak up?

It is a gift that so many of us have the luxury to choose. It is a beautiful choice to have. But why aren’t more of us warrior women coming forth to bear witness? The fear, backlash, uncertainty are all very real. But when did they become enough to silence us? They didn’t stop our foremamas, so why do they paralyze us?

Category: Feature