DEAR OPRAH!

A letter from a member of the burn team to Oprah:

Oprah,

you don’t know this, but you are a part of my family. I have watched almost every episode of your show for the past 25 years. When I was a teenage girl, afraid to come out of the closet for fear of what my family and friends would say, you were there for me. You were the one who comforted me, supported me, and loved me through all the pain and stress.

At that time, there weren’t wonderful and miraculous organizations like ItGetsBetter.org, or The Trevor Project. No one talked about being gay in the late 80’s. However you, Oprah, put LGBT people on TV, and that’s what saved me from serious depression. You showed me that I wasn’t alone, and that the world was a big place with room for everyone.

I lost many people when I eventually came out, Oprah. They weren’t ready for what I had to say. I spent a lot of time locked in my room crying. But even then, I knew everything was going to be ok, because every day on TV, you said it would.
Today is your last show. So I am asking myself, what am I supposed to do? I am going on 42, and I still love you, Oprah. 4PM in New York will never be the same again. It will be a big, blank hole.

Maybe the better question to ask myself is, what would you want me to do? I think you would want me to pay it forward. I am trying to do that here, with Burnandrotinhell.com. I am trying to give a voice to people who don’t normally have one. I am trying to provide people with a place where they can go and let off steam and discuss what’s bothering them, and maybe laugh and have some fun doing it.

I hear some people need this site. I see that many people use it every day. Others use it once in a while, and others, just once. But all these users know it is here, for them when they need it. That is the important part. Just like you always say, “This is what I know for sure.”

I bet you many others feel the same way. We would love to read your comments on how you feel about Oprah's last day of her show.

The Burn Team