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… And one learns to live in a world that makes you a deviant
And untouchable
So you become invisible
Not to get in the way
THEY’LL JUST BEAT THE QUEER OUT OF YOU
And if you come out
They’ll deny you work—That’ll get the queer out of you
They’ll deny you legal rights. That’ll shake the queer out of you
They’ll deny you a civil marriage—You’ll never legally be a couple
Your love is never quite good enough
That’ll depress the queer out of you.
They’ll deny you recognition, force the mask, the costume
So you can never speak freely your feelings
That’ll destroy your queer heart
But what does it matter?
We’ve been taught that queer don’t have hearts. They live only for sexual deviance …

Karen Finley from “An Act of Conscience”