I am deeply saddened by “Christians” who try to deny basic
rights to people out of fear and ignorance; bigotry cloaked as religious
freedom. It’s a sad day for North Carolina. I don’t know what God these people
have, but he’s sure not mine.
I believe my son is dead today in large part because of people
like Amendment One supporters who made him feel like some kind of freak,
someone to be despised, feared, an “abomination”. My son was a beautiful human
being. He was kind, loving, so intelligent, and I loved him EXACTLY the way he
was, and part of who he was, was gay. I am proud of my son. I so looked forward
to the day when he found his true love and might actually…GASP!...marry that
person and live in a committed relationship. I often think about how his life
might have turned out so differently if we lived in a country that wasn’t
steeped in homophobia. His last several years might have been happy instead of
spent in shame and hurt--the feelings that sent him to drugs in an effort to
suppress the pain and the shame; the feelings that many people would shun him
and hate him because of who he was…who he was born as. Who God made him.
There’s not a person on earth who can convince me being
gay is a choice. Who, in God’s name, would choose to be an outcast?--to be
discriminated against, made to feel horrible for who they were? He could no
more change being gay than he could change the color of his skin. And trust me,
if he could have changed it, he would have. But it’s just not possible.
There’s been a lot written about gay kids committing
suicide lately. It’s a sad commentary on the state of our country, and I largely
blame misguided “Christians”. As a God-loving heterosexual Christian, I have to
ask what is going on in the US?!!! The Tea Party, who would boo a veteran who
honorably served our country, because he was gay, has been in the headlines. Or
some crazy church that pickets the funerals of soldiers with signs like “God
hates fags” because they believe that’s why our soldiers are dying. It’s so disgusting,
I don’t even know what to say about it. Back in the day, people used the bible
to justify slavery too. To every church
who pushed this agenda, if you want to influence our government and use church
money to do so, start paying taxes like every other corporation.
Most importantly, to every gay kid out there who may be
suffering: you are a beautiful person, a person of value, just the way you are.
God knitted each one of you personally in the womb (that’s from the bible), he
knows every hair on your head (that’s in the bible too), and he knows your
heart. If you can hang in there for a few years, get some experience under your
belt, you will grow into yourself, accept yourself, and live a happy life. Yes,
it’s hard now, but don’t turn to drugs, alcohol, or God forbid, suicide. Treat
yourself and your body with the love and respect you deserve! You are a child
of God the same as every other person who walks this earth. He loves you, and I
do too.
