Then ̶E̶v̶e̶r̶y̶b̶o̶d̶y̶ No One Clapped

Speak out, they said. Use your voice for good, they said.

Don’t be afraid! Change the world. You can do it!

I mean, yeah. You can. And you should. And I imagine you have.

If so, you already know it doesn’t turn out like a Ryan Murphy movie.

They don’t all clap and burst into song. Your old friends still leave.

And then there’s the silence. You don’t get replacement people right away.

You’re just in your house, having spoken your truth, spoken truth to Power, and

No One Cares.

In fact, now you’re That Person. You’re sort of Sus.

And if you’re a woman and speak out, you’re not dateable.

Unless you date women.

Look, I’m not trying to be a downer. It’s just the way it is.

You speak up, you stand out, you pay the price.

It’s worth it.

But it’s lonely.

They don’t talk about that enough. How you call people, and they don’t answer. They unfriend you.

You get blocked. You block them. It just hurts too damn much.