Who celebrates you? Who cheers for you? Who backs you up, and talks to everyone about you, and can't wait to be with you, and is excited at the very thought of you? If you can't picture anyone, at least know that I'm cheering for you! :-) And I'm inviting people to fill your life stadium to celebrate you! Just imagine it...
We all need people in our lives who love us, adore us, like us, cherish us...we all need to know that we're wanted.
I know parents and neighbors and church members (even clergy!) and too many others who have made it patently clear that gay folks are not wanted. How does that sit with you? What if it were you they were sneering at? If I were to be allowed an opinion, I think gay folks sure have endured more than their fair share of roughing up. The LGBT community's enemies' words, facial expressions, body language, writings, rantings, and gestures confirm their distaste all too plainly. The reason I find that so despicable is that the hate is often founded on nothing more than labels, not based on a relationship or knowledge of the real person! It's one thing to hate someone because of some harm they might have caused; but it's disgusting -- is reprehensible too strong a word? -- to hate without any reason!
For example, if examples were even necessary: What kind of a person turns a New Year's Eve celebration into a terrorizing event? What kind of person would set a building on fire -- a well-known gay bar in Seattle -- with 750 party-goers above? Who thinks hate and attempted murder and this kind of action are OK? Who taught that kind of hate?
http://joemygod.blogspot.com/2014/01/seattle-new-years-eve-arson-attempt-at.html
There are too many traumatizing stories in the global LGBT community in the last year that need to wake us all and shake us all into action! (Too many with much sadder results than the fire -- broken bones, bruises, maimings, death; not forgetting the emotional trauma of fear, intimidation, bullying.) The LGBT community doesn't just need allies to come alongside, sometimes the community needs advocates who dare to speak out/on behalf of, to stand in front of and protect, who work behind the scenes, who pay the price, who dare to take up the cause because it's just the right thing to do! We need to be people who won't give up, won't shut up, won't be satisfied, won't say "It's OK" when it's not, won't stop living and loving and learning about how justice and right have to play out in this season of history.
We have to feel passionately; we have to share the pain. We need everyone to do their part. We need to spend less time worrying about, or fretting over, the haters; and we need to spend much more time and energy simply making things right and leaving the haters with the taste of dust in their mouths as we pass them by.
If you're overwhelmed in the fight for right, remember this excellent advice: "Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good." Hate is evil for sure, but we'll overcome with love!
We need to believe that love, acceptance, and unity not only can win, they will win! I believe you and I can make the difference -- or I wouldn't be typing right now! :-) In fact, we ARE the difference! So...add another log to the fire of your passion, and let's get going!
Cheering you on while you cheer me on! Much love...Steve xo
There are too many traumatizing stories in the global LGBT community in the last year that need to wake us all and shake us all into action! (Too many with much sadder results than the fire -- broken bones, bruises, maimings, death; not forgetting the emotional trauma of fear, intimidation, bullying.) The LGBT community doesn't just need allies to come alongside, sometimes the community needs advocates who dare to speak out/on behalf of, to stand in front of and protect, who work behind the scenes, who pay the price, who dare to take up the cause because it's just the right thing to do! We need to be people who won't give up, won't shut up, won't be satisfied, won't say "It's OK" when it's not, won't stop living and loving and learning about how justice and right have to play out in this season of history.
We have to feel passionately; we have to share the pain. We need everyone to do their part. We need to spend less time worrying about, or fretting over, the haters; and we need to spend much more time and energy simply making things right and leaving the haters with the taste of dust in their mouths as we pass them by.
If you're overwhelmed in the fight for right, remember this excellent advice: "Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good." Hate is evil for sure, but we'll overcome with love!
We need to believe that love, acceptance, and unity not only can win, they will win! I believe you and I can make the difference -- or I wouldn't be typing right now! :-) In fact, we ARE the difference! So...add another log to the fire of your passion, and let's get going!
Cheering you on while you cheer me on! Much love...Steve xo
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Thanks for taking the time and trouble to be in touch -- heart to heart!