Chris Birch: Rugby player who 'woke up gay' after stroke says he's happit he's ever been | Daily Mail Onle

Contents:

• I WOKE UP THIS GAY
• I WOULDN'T CHANGE BACK: RUGBY PLAYER WHO 'WOKE UP GAY' AFTER STROKE AND NOW HAS FIANCE SAYS HE’S THE HAPPIT HE’S EVER BEEN
• I WOKE UP THIS GAY | CREW NECK
• I WOKE UP GAY
• I, A GAY AUTISTIC MAN, AM SHARG 5 THGS ABOUT MY INTERSECTNAL INTY

I WOKE UP THIS GAY

As a gay rights activist, advote and lobbyist for over 40 years I've worked for var U. Telligence agenci, journalism, and as a profsnal gay rights lobbyist. Throughout the long s we were fightg for a dream of a society where didn't matter if we were gay, straight, black, whe, Christian, Mlim, or Jew.

My generatn of gay men and today's transgenr and nonbary children paid and are still payg the price of other people's hatred, bigotry and most effective way to end the cycle of hateful rhetoric beg vlence agast margalized muni is to remd people what was like the last time Ameri went down this mt tell people what felt like when we were the foc, the victims of Ameri's hatred and and Ain Amerins unrstand the importance of makg people remember, never lettg them fet the atroci they endured.

I WOULDN'T CHANGE BACK: RUGBY PLAYER WHO 'WOKE UP GAY' AFTER STROKE AND NOW HAS FIANCE SAYS HE’S THE HAPPIT HE’S EVER BEEN

I believe the LGBTQ+ muny mt follow their noble "I WOKE UP THIS GAY" I rell my 60+ years of experienc as a gay man. Startg wh my abive and homophobic childhood, then g of age durg the LGBTQ+ rights movement and the AIDS epimic throughout North Ameri, Eastern and Wtern to a proment Mormon fay, at the age of 12 my Mormon Bishop mand my olr brother to beat the queer out of me, which ntued for the rt of my childhood.

I WOKE UP THIS GAY | CREW NECK

I was reced out of high school to work for Uned Stat telligence agenci and beme the first Amerin allowed to keep my top secret secury clearance after g out as a gay 30+ years, on behalf of the Mormon Church my uncle helped anize and fance polil mpaigns agast gay rights throughout Ameri, cludg raisg $20 of the $40 ln that fund Prop 8, the nstutnal amendment banng gay marriage California.

I WOKE UP GAY

I don't want to remember hidg behd a dumpster some back alley, prayg that my iends also found somewhere safe to hi om that horrible mob of gay bashers. I don't want to remember my boyiend Mosw beg arrted, tortured and murred by the KGB for beg a proment gay activist, or watchg a man beaten to ath New York Cy knowg that if I had tried to help him they would have killed me too. I'm an old whe man, who happens to be gay, but I've e to realize I'm an sid racist agast old whe men.

Recently I was asked to give an addrs to some middle school stunts Oregon about hate speech and how enurag discrimatn and I look at that generatn though, I don't see a bunch of racist and homophob.

I, A GAY AUTISTIC MAN, AM SHARG 5 THGS ABOUT MY INTERSECTNAL INTY

It was about disverg who you are and learng to love the person you are meant to be, no matter how eccentric, different or even gay. My generatn of gay men and today's transgenr and nonbary children paid and are still payg the price of other people's hatred, bigotry and tolerance.

" I fondly remember how the gay muny pulled together to lnch media and polil mpaigns, how we took re of the sick when no one else would. We succsfully lobbied the Uned Stat Congrs and Utah State Legislature to pass hate crime & gay rights legislatn and fundg for HIV meditn. If we do not, history will repeat self yet name is Stuart Merrill AndI Woke Up This Gay!