One Life

by Megan Rapinoe

the more you stand up for others, the easier it is to stand up for yourself.

The church she went to was one of those supposedly liberal ones that pretends to be accepting but actually preaches “Hate the sin, love the sinner.” Which is, of course, motherfucking-ass homophobic. It’s so much worse than regular homophobia, because these people don’t think they’re homophobic. You’re homophobic! And you’re hiding behind Christianity!

When you pick an issue you care about and speak up, you help a range of causes you may know nothing about. When levels of inequality fall for one group, we all rise a little higher across the spectrum.

Real change lies within all of us. It is in the choices we make every day. It’s in how we talk, who we hire, and what we permit others to say in our presence. It’s in reading more, thinking more, considering a different perspective. At it’s simplest, it’s in whether we’re willing to spend even five minutes a day thinking about how we can make the world better.