Brave: ready to face and endure danger or pain; showing courage

So my zen-like Sunday morning was perturbed by this:

 

 

Where should I start? The title of this blog post is Brave: ready to face and endure danger or pain; showing courage. The very definition of the world brave does not discriminate between soldier, civilian, or act. While on the scale of things, yes, soldiers are brave. They risk their lives for our freedom and do it for little thanks and little pay. As the daughter, sister, and friend to veterans, I couldn't agree more that our soldiers are brave. I am also a friend and supporter to many in the LGBT community. However, when I saw this post, what struck me more wasn't that some think that an actress coming out in Hollywood wasn't as brave as a soldier serving our country, it was in fact, I thought, a slap in the face to our soldiers who have come out.

 

 

With the repeal of Don't Ask Don't Tell on September 20, 2011, many of our own brave soldiers were faced with what Ellen Page was: to face their own fears and know that their decision to be honest with both themselves and their community might alienate them, and worse, might cause them to endure bullying and outright hatred.

 

 

In fact, those soldier who endured through the DADT years, keeping their sexuality secret because they loved their job, they are brave.

 

 

In the end, the definition of being brave means many things to many people. By the definition alone it is the simple fact of having courage. Whether it's being open about your sexuality, fighting for our country, or like Special Olympian John Franklin Stephens, standing up to Ann Coulter about the treatment of those with intellectual disabilities. You are all brave in your own way.