I’m really digging all the solidarity that’s been shown lately for LGBT kids and adults.
I’ve never been very vocal about my own support for my LGBT friends. I’ve made the mistake of viewing gay rights as a political issue, and I’m not one to spout off about political issues in public.
You know what? It’s not a political issue. It’s a human rights issue. It’s about ending this notion that LGBT folks are second-class citizens. They’re not.
Two things have inspired me to get more vocal. I’m sure you’ve heard of the gay teens who had been bullied so much they were compelled to take their own lives. And the It Gets Better project that has followed. So many LGBT guys and gals have courageously told their stories. While I’ve never gone through what they’ve been subjected to, I can still say I’m here to try to help it get better.
I just finished reading “The Commitment,” a memoir/analysis about marriages both gay and straight written by Dan Savage, the brains behind ‘It Gets Better.’ Savage does such a great job of debunking arguments against gay marriage and made me realize I can help just by supporting and standing with my LGBT friends whose rights to marriage are being denied.
Which brings me to another point. I’m Catholic, ie Christian. Christians get a bad rap for their views about anything LGBT — and rightfully so. I know those in charge of the religion I practice advocate against acceptance of and rights for LGBT people. Guess what, folks? There are some of us who disagree. There some of us Catholics/Christians who still feel called to our religion who don’t agree with this teaching. There are some of us who believe in a God who values love and acceptance over all else … a God who teaches the greatest love of all is to lay down one’s life for a friend … a God who teaches me to be humble and regard all others as greater lives than my own.
Sorry to get preachy there for a moment, but I refuse to let the voices of other Christians who use God as an excuse to spread hatred be heard over my own voice anymore.
So let me borrow the voices of those whom I support …
- Alec Baldwin, who wants you to fight back against people who want to crush LGBT rights.
- Fort Worth City Councilman Joel Burns, who wants teens to know it gets better.
- The FCKH8 campaign, which wants you to get the eff over your nasty attitudes.
- Everyone who went purple with their clothes or their attitudes, because they want to show solidarity with LGBT people everywhere.
We’re not going to take it anymore. Who’s with us?
Wonderful, wonderful post, lady! It is a human rights issue. And I hope it’s one we fix soon.
Good post! Thanks to all the recent media attention, just raised this very topic with my seven year-old son. It only gets better if people talk about it.
I love how straightforward you are with this: “There some of us Catholics/Christians who still feel called to our religion who don’t agree with this [anti-LGBT] teaching.” Sometimes I feel the need to explain my take on that in more detail, or prepare my argument as if I’m about to engage in a debate. But you know what? I think what you’ve said is the most important thing to say, all on its own: I am a Christian, and I support my LGBT friends. Those two beliefs/actions are not mutually exclusive. Period.