The other day when Iwas hanging out with some of my friends I heard them making, stupid remarks about gay people. Their comments were getting on my nerves. There is nothing wrong with gay people. They just have a different life style and should be treated equally.

There are some people who would like you to believe that a great epidemic has swept through Harlem; that armies of homosexuals have come into our communities and taken over through mind control and mass propaganda.

Homophobia is a problem that not only discriminates against homosexuals but it also causes tension within our neighborhoods. Everyone is entitled to their own opinions but to take those opinions and force them onto others in such a way as to make them ashamed of their own views is not only unconstitutional but morally wrong.

We are all obligated to follow certain customs and tolerance is one of them. Tolerance is what is supposed to make this nation great. We can see what happened when tolerance was abandoned in the past and all the setbacks and suffering caused because of it. To repeat, in the future would not only be foolish but it would prove harmful to our survival . We need to learn to put aside our differences and work together towards our betterment.

Each time we learn from a mistake in the past our strides into the future lengthen. We need to see beyond the small differences and observe our greater similarities. When we can do this as a species we will be able solve all of the current problems that plague humankind. Everyone will be working together for mutual benefit the way it has always been intended.