travel in my mind is synonymous with
growth with adventure even love so much
so that
i propose to my husband chaston in an
airport terminal
so don't let anybody tell you that
o'hare isn't romantic
i'm also mindful that the eyes of
history are on this appointment
knowing that this is the first time an
american president has ever sent
an openly lgbtq cabinet member to the
senate
for competent for confirmation i can
remember watching the news
17 years old in indiana seeing a story
about an appointee of president clinton
named to be an ambassador attacked and
denied a vote in the senate because he
was gay
ultimately able to serve only by recess
appointment
at the time i had no aspirations of
being appointed by a president
to anything at that age i was hoping to
be an airline pilot
and i was a long way from coming out
even to myself but still
i watched that story i learned something
about some of the limits that exist in
this country
when it comes to who is allowed to
belong
but just as important i saw how those
limits
could be challenged so two decades later
i can't help but think
of a 17 year old somewhere who might be
watching us right now
somebody who wonders whether and where
they belong
in the world or even in their own family
and i'm thinking about the message that
today's announcement is sending to them
so thank you mr president-elect thank
you
for honoring your commitment to
diversity
with this administration that you're
assembling
you