My Dream

What is my dream?
To live in a world with discrimination towards those with unique abilities and on the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Questioning, Intersex, and Allies spectrum eradicated. To live in a world where bigotry and oppression towards these types of people and everyone else who is considered the other does not exist. I hope to live to see this day, but, like Martin Luther King, Jr. with racism being eradicated, it will probably not happen in my lifetime as the stereotypes of ethnicity is still being worked on today.
Why?
I am a proud member of both the LGBTQIA continuum as a bisexual male who was questioning for several months and is a proud ally and the continuum of the people with unique abilities as someone with mood disorder, ADHD, autism on a few levels (some people argue Aspergers or PDD-NOS, some people who have worked in the field for a long time think Tourette's or OCD in some regards, that is hard to know, the mood disorder is probably a combo of trauma, depression, anxiety, and a touch of bipolar.) There are two reasons why I am still functioning well and still thriving in college: medication and the best support system for anybody with autism since Temple Grandin was in college.
Am I making a difference with these issues and how can I encourage others to do the same?
Every time I go to a rally, march against injustice, attend an advocacy meeting or a day at the capitol, serve on a committee, help out with Pride Festival, listen to the Gay Men's chorus, support the LGBTQIA continuum by being educated about the issues and speaking up/or boycotting things that are unjust, I am making a difference. I do this all the time. I also make a difference by sharing my story with others which I am more than happy to often. I can encourage others to do the same by making it safe, reserve judgment and hatred in all cases, be a supportive ally and advocate, follow the golden/platinum rules, be myself, and share importance and love for each other by helping other people when they are having an issue.
Am I loved by these various people groups?
Yes and so much more. One of the main reasons why I have started laying this dream on the table is so that I can share people's visions and goals and love people for who they are. I am loved by many, hated by few, and respected by most. While my opinionated sense of right damages my ability to be a leader in some churches and people groups (and those I wouldn't care to be a leader for anyway), I am beloved by a majority of my family, my friends, my colleagues, my friend's colleagues, and so many more people. To start living out these dreams I have to be the person to have more of a dream. My autism has helped me start blazing a trail in many regards and I have continued to show love in so many ways. Let my heart be completely overflowing with love this day and everyday. And encourage others to follow my lead. This is my desire and dream.

Hope

The are three reasons why I give hope (at least, but these are the main ones). Here they are in a three-sentence reason for each one.
1. I give hope to people who have a unique ability and want to overcome it:
I am structuring myself as much more than a lover of people, I am structuring myself as a pioneer, an up-and-coming strong activist for the disenfranchised, and a hope for the people who have unique abilities. People with unique abilities see me as a role model, a funny guy, and a well-liked human doing. And I wouldn't have as many friends in this position if I didn't have autism.
2. I give hope to parents:
If a parent has a child or a teen or even an adult that struggles with autism, I can give them a smile and kind words. If a parent has a child with autism or a young adult or a grown-up that has behavior problems, I can share that it gets better because of my history. Even those people without autism I can show parents that I continue to get better and their children can too (i.e. my roommate's Mom, people with Down's Syndrome's parents, etc.)
3. I give hope to the people in agencies:
Due to the successes I have they see that it is possible. I have moved through a group home, a supervised apartment situation, and into self-direction, and each step has been braver and braver. I have thrived in these situations and hives hope to individuals who are struggling.
There are other situations but these are the main ones. I am a beacon of hope.

Strength

My true strength doesn't come from within. It comes from the Lord above. The Lord is the one who has gotten me out of three personal hell-like states and is trying to get me to snap out of a fourth around this time. The Lord is the one who has gotten me to get to where I am physically right now. The Lord is who I credit with genuinely creating an environment where I am able to make and keep many friends that have genuine caring attitudes about me and to whom I trust and shall not fear. The Lord is the one who got me to the point in education that I am. The Lord is a lover of my successes and a forgiver of my failures. Even more than my Mom and my own experiences, the Lord has gotten me to where I'm at today and has gotten me through six and a half years in customer service, twenty-seven years in education, and twenty-two and a half years as an athlete. The Lord turned an uncoordinated gangly freak show like me into one of the best male dancers at Boise State and definitely one of the most frequent. The Lord has gotten me to a great apartment complex with lots of support. The Lord is the most forgiving spirit ever created. In the fourteen plus years of claiming Christianity for myself, I have seen plenty of changes, but the Lord is the crux of it all. My strength comes from my spiritual leader and that is why I am who I am largely today.