When You Accidentally BBQ Yourself With the Equality Symbol

Yup. This happened while putting a log into the woodstove. At least the scar is going to be a permanent reminder of something I'm cool with, right?

But still, I've never had the urge to brand myself and this burn hurts like hell. Tattoos? Sure. Got plenty of those. A large, permanent scar from a foolish burn mark? No thanks....but if you had to wear a symbol, I'm totally cool with this one.

Now that I've got this on me forever, let's do a little research on the equality symbol itself.

Perhaps the most well known symbol is the blue and gold one...very similar to classic MSU Bobcat colors. This particular equality symbol is generally associated with the Human Rights Campaign (HRC). The HRC is a LGBTQ advocacy group...the largest in the United States.

The Human Rights Campaign has been around since 1980, founded by Steve Endean. The group is a non-profit powerhouse in fighting for equality and inclusion. Their mission is Equality For All, Not For Some.

According to their official website:

Our goal is to ensure that all LGBTQ people, and particularly those of us who are trans, people of color and HIV+, are treated as full and equal citizens within our movement, across our country and around the world.

Now...how to treat that burn: If you're sure your burn doesn't require medical attention, the at-home treatment is quite simple.

Run the burn under cool water for several minutes. Not only will this soothe the skin a bit, you want to make sure it gets as clean as possible. Burn spray or ointment is a good idea and pop a couple of ibuprofen.

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