My half of a conversation with a friend

A friend recently sent me a letter, asking me how I deal with issues. In particular she wanted to know how I deal with racism and homophobia. Just thought I'd share part of the letter I sent her:

.....it's not so much a matter of turning a cold shoulder to the cruelty of others, it's more about deciding who determines how I feel about myself. people can hurl all types of invectives and profanities at me, but they don't get to make me feel bad about myself. I made a decision a long time ago that I'm fucking fabulous, and no one's cheap opinion is going to change that. No matter what people say to or about me, God will always be in His Heaven, my parents will always love me, and I'll still be fabulous. Once I made that decision, everything else just sort of fell into place. We each have to make similar decisions every day, and when someone chooses to treat me poorly because of a superficial characteristic (race, gender, orientation, etc.) then they "choose" to miss out on all I've got to offer. They miss out on my weird sense of humor, my heart, and all the philosophical conversations I love having (this one, for example). With that in mind, I can only feel sorry for people who spend their entire lives judging and hating those around them. I pity the pricks, because they're missing out.