I taught high school English for 24 years. I always teach my students to appreciate the beauty of language and to write poetically.

I think it is important for someone like me to not run away from who I am but embrace it. LGBT people across the country need to know they have a friend in Congress.

We, as Americans, do our level best to avoid being cruel to one another; we're led out of a diverse nation to come together and learn how to live with one another in a way that elevates everyone and our way of life. We've tried mightily to renew and imagine - imagine anew what it means to be free, what it means to be fair.

I taught high school English for 24 years. I always teach my students to appreciate the beauty of language and to write poetically.

You cant not be changed by the experience of seeing extreme poverty. You start to want to think about ways in which you can make the world better.