My mom had just taken me to get my hair cut. She had to run a few errands before we went back home. I was sitting in the front passenger seat. We were stopped at the red light by the police department when a friend of hers started talking to her from the next lane over. After a few minutes, her friend asked her who the boy was with her in the car.
“That’s not a boy, that’s Irene,” Mom said. She said it matter-of-factly like her friend was an idiot for not recognizing me. I was six years old.
Formula One’s Seven-time World Champion Lewis Hamilton has a unique streak going on right now. Every race in which he has worn an LGBTQ+ helmet, he has finished on the podium.
As a teen in the 1980s, I heard words like “fag, queer, twink,” and worse from my peers. At home, my grandmother quietly instilled the virtues and values of respect, fairness, and equality. She was well-known for living the idea of not judging people until you’ve walked a mile in their shoes. Those life lessons have been on my mind this week as the president of the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA), the governing body for Formula 1, has made some incredibly disparaging remarks toward Formula 1 drivers, and awareness to issues such as mental health, human rights, and the LGBT community.
Formula 1 is the only sport I follow. While it is not perfect, the sport has made great strides in the past few years to address a number of issues, including inequality, around the world. Not only are its stars involved, the greater community is as well.
One of the coolest things I attended as a spectator this summer was Panhandle Pride. Each year, for the past five years, friends, family, and strangers gather to celebrate old and new friendships and support the LGBTQ+ community.
Youth enjoy the day at the Panhandle Equality Pride event at Frank Park in Scottsbluff.
Paul and I always attend the Panhandle Equality picnic. Now in its fourth year, the event continues to grow. This year, there were fantastic musical performances, some from acts who traveled from Lincoln and Omaha to be a part of making a difference in western Nebraska.
I don’t know everyone at the event, but there are always the familiar faces. They are working to make life better for the next generation so that, one day, the LGBTQ community won’t have to work so hard just to be seen as an equal.
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