As if being a teenager is not hard enough, imagine being a gay teenager. In the South. Close to Texas and the Bible belt. Could life get any harder? Maybe. But regardless, this teenager would have a tougher lot than most to face on a daily basis.
I want to share with you a situation happening in my friend's new, small hometown of Clovis, NM. The full story is here, but here's a synopsis - Students and staff at the Clovis high school made a conscious decision for an all inclusive yearbook (commend and AWARD these adults, also Christian believers, for not only having this conversation with students and reaching this agreement, but for being able to have their beliefs and use it as a framework to live in that does not exclude or alienate people). In the relationship section, which has always been a feature of the yearbook, they included two lesbian couples along with nine heterosexual couples. Now, some other Christian adults in the area are up in arms, to the point where businesses who put ads in the yearbook and donate money to the school are threatening to stop doing so.
What gets me the most from this article, beyond the ignorance, was the fact that gay, male couples who were asked to be included in the yearbook turned the opportunity down for fear of their personal safety. How could any parent of a child, whether gay or straight, read something like that and think it is OK for any child to feel unsafe just for being who they are? It makes me feel angry that people can let a religion warp their sense of logic, disappointed that we as a SPECIES, as PEOPLE have so many advanced technologies, intelligence and cognitive abilities, to heal and create medicines yet it can mean NOTHING if our minds, morals, and reasoning skills are still in the Dark Ages.
To allow ignorance and hate in one place against one child is to allow ignorance and hate against all children. This is how I see it and why I've always felt so strongly about the power of language and education. If you feel as disturbed or concerned as I do by this situation in a Clovis, NM high school, please feel free to send comments to the paper, to the editor, to the town, whatever you can to show some support to these teens and adults, people trying to make a difference, and perhaps to alert the bigots that they are NOT a majority.
Off soap box.
Wow. That is so sad.
ReplyDeleteDid you see the clip of John McCain on Ellen yesterday? She brought up marriage rights and he disagreed with her. I can't imagine what it must be like to sit across from someone who's telling you you don't matter as much as everyone else and you don't get to have the same rights. She was incredible. So brave and strong and so composed. I just think love should be celebrated. And I think it degrades marriage on all counts when it becomes about politics and not about love.
Okay, now I'll get off my soap box.
So very sad.
ReplyDeleteThank you for taking the step to educate people! Everyone makes a difference.
Last time I checked love had no rules. This makes me so sad. I suppose what we can do about it is what you've done here, support and speak out. Thank you for this!
ReplyDeleteallie - i am going to go watch that clip now...hopefully i wont cry and want to punch someone after.
ReplyDeletegruppie - thanks for the support. i hope you educate your little ones too. not sure how you feel on this issue, but it is never to early to teach hate is wrong.
S n' L - yeah, who knew the Bible was a rule book on how to love? and how convenient for them to skip over the love your neighbor as yourself bit...and all the other love everyone parts.
I'm gay and married to my spouse in Canada, but not here. Figure that one out! We live in Clovis.
ReplyDeleteWe went to that board meeting. It was positively disgusting to see god's army spouting out garbage from the bible. My spouse, Diane, and a friend of ours spoke. They were great. Diane brought up a great treatise on the bible called LETTER TO LOUISE that tells what the bible says and doesn't say about gays. It was written by a baptist preacher and his wife who had to find out why a loving god would hate some of his children. It's a wonderful letter and available for free on the web.
We then sent it to the biggest, most arrogant blowhard out of all of god's soldiers who spoke at the meeting. He hasn't responded.
I grew up in NJ and lived in Houston's gay town for so long that it doesn't occur to me to hide our relationship. I put in too much energy and make too many compromises and sacrafices to hide anything.
We're doing what we can, but what we really need is 1,000 dollars so we can take out a full page ad in the Clovis paper telling all christians to read LETTER TO LOUISE and to urge them to ask their pastor if he has read it.
This Letter is an extraordinarily scholarly account of what the bible original said and how it has been adulterated. Written by an old, white straight, baptist minister!
The girl who was in the paper also spoke. Very smart girl, very strong. I was soooo proud of her. I wish I could have gotten her aside and told her not to worry- the world isn't like this. It really isn't. I wish she could go to Canada with us and see how loving and good people can be and how inclusive a government can be.
Oh, and postscript...I am deeply grateful to all non-gays who support equal rights. You are the most valueable of all. Women and blacks never would have gotten equal rights without the whites and males in power changing laws.
ReplyDeleteThank god for the young, the new generation, who will change the country and the world for the better.
When the dinosuars who are trying desperately to hold on to their bigotry are finally gone, a better world will be inherited by us all.
Thank god for the young!