Hate and intolerance are terrible scourges on our society - and on our world. No matter where you look, hate is there. Claiming lives. Leaving wounds that will never heal. Too many have already felt the cold evil of hate and intolerance. Now it's time for people to stand up and say "NO MORE!"

Stopping hate is not an issue of only race or sexual orientation. It is not only an issue of ethnic background or religious difference. Nor is it an issue of anything that marks a person or group of people as different. It is a HUMAN ISSUE.

Stopping hate is about acceptance. About accepting ALL PEOPLE as individuals, equal and caring, deserving of respect and compassion. NO ONE has the right or moral call to degrade or dehumanize anyone. NO ONE has the right to take another life. Stopping the hate is about understanding and recognizing the value of individual differences and how they make us all, as the Human Community, stronger by far.

If there is ever to be a day where hate no longer threatens the lives of anyone, it will take the united efforts of all of us who stand against hate to bring it about. PLEASE, DO NOT THINK YOUR SUPPORT WON'T COUNT!!! Only if we all stand together will we ever overcome this terrible scourge and prevent other needless deaths.

Every person in the United States is entitled to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. This is clearly defined in The Declaration of Independence, which embodies the principles upon which this nation was built. Furthermore, the U.S. Constitution outlines these rights and makes them binding laws.

Why, then, are people being killed because of intoerance and hate?

Because political, social, and conservative religious institutions actively endorse policies of prejudice and discrimination which foster intolerance and violence. Gay men, lesbians, bisexuals, transgendered persons, and people living with AIDS/HIV (GLBTH) are forced to live in a hostile environment, their lives and livelihoods jeopardized, facing the possibility of becoming the next victim of a hate crime.

This must not be allowed to continue! Laws must be enacted to protect ALL people from bias-related violence. Public campaigns and policies that foster or promote intolerance and discrimination must be stopped. Leaders and public figures who openly encourage, call for, or support discrimination must be held accountable. Equality and freedom to live without fear must become the prevailing social and legal standard.

We need combine our resources and talents if there is to ever be a day where hate and intolerance go down in final defeat. The more we work together, the louder our message will be. There are many resources out there, and many people working to make a difference. The courage and dedication of each individual is more than an addition to the effort. It multiplies the strength and resilience of the whole.

Showing your support is of inestimable importance. It doesn't have to mean donating money to a variety of organizations. It can be as simple as letting someone know you care. Do whatever you can. Anything that will show you support the struggle to end hate and intolerance. No effort is to small. Even the slightest effort is worthwhile.

If there is to ever come a day when hate and intolerance no longer devastate lives and scar communities, it will require the support of everyone. So long as silence remains a response, those who promote intolerance and hateful rhetoric will continue. Only when we prove that campaigns aimed at fostering discrimination and intolerance are not accepted anywhere will the voices of hate be forever silenced. We must all take a stand. We must all stand as one.

Equality and freedom to live without fear need not be only a dream for some. It can be real for everyone.