It's Monday evening here. The streets are very quiet apart from all of the dogs barking, of course. I'm actually getting used to it and find the variety of howls somewhat comforting. This morning in the auditorium, I stood close as the promotores took part in a very powerful exercise. They were each given a star, which came in 4 different colors. They were told to write the name of their best friend, a family member or animal they loved and trusted completely, their dream occupation, and their dreams of how happiness would manifest itself in their lives. They wrote each bit in the points that made up the star. As we stood in a circle, Maggie told them they all had to pretend they were a gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender person. There were a few shocked and embarrassed expressions but everyone stayed calm. Maggie and Miguel asked that we all treat one another with respect and to stand together in silence for the exercise. Maggie proceeded to name of hypothetical situations in which each person decided to "Salir del closet" or come out of the closet to a friend, a family member, a boss, etc. In some of the cases those that had certain colored stars were accepted and supported by all those that they chose to confide in. Other stars met with confusion from those they had come out to. One group of stars, the pink group, were completely rejected in all aspects of their life. The group with pink stars had torn off each point on their star as Maggie went down the list of rejections, until tiny pieces of rose colored paper was scattered at the feet of all the promotores. Their friends, family, and working community "had hypothetically" all expressed disgust. They were kicked out of their homes and cast out of their communities. These stars wound up committing suicide. When the exercise was finished their was a weight and a sadness in the room. Some expressed how badly they felt that so much rejection and ugly feelings could be put on another person just because they were gay. Others shared stories of experiences they had had, from a family member coming out and being accepted to people they knew that threatened to kill someone for being gay. I believe we all left feeling a little more responsible for our behavior in the world. Perhaps we are a little more aware of the daily battle for acceptance and equal rights. I was aware of how much I rely, to the deepest depths of my being and marrow in my bones, on my family and community of friends. As we ended the exercise, the promotores clapped, with a connection that was just starting to form amongst us all; accountability.