With Emily Dickinson in mind: "This is my letter to the world, who never wrote to me......" Actually, this is my letter to all the "good Christian" bigots who never wrote to me......
In high school, I ran around with lots of people...both straight and gay. I didn't know what straight and gay were back then (we didn't discuss such things), and I weighed 90 lbs. dripping wet and was about as sexy as a leafless stick on a dead tree, so I didn't know anything about sex either and frankly, didn't want to. But I was artistic and musical and "dramatic"....so learned to love a great diversity of people.
I think the seriousness of the difference between being straight and gay really hit home to me after I began teaching. I had lots of students ages 14 and up who came to me to talk about their homosexuality, because they felt they couldn't talk to their parents. Many were contemplating suicide even back then, because they didn't know if they could live in a world that shunned and treated them so badly because they weren't considered to be like everybody else. Well, I put the quietus on the "suicide" bit immediately. I told the kids to be themselves and be strong and reminded them that suicide is the most selfish thing that anybody can do to their family. AND...if they killed themselves...they would have no chance to change other peoples' thinking. Fortunately, none of my students committed suicide. We just had fun instead. But I learned more from those experiences than they did. And I began to look at homosexuality differently and with great respect.
It amazes me that there is still the need for them to struggle to be accepted after all these years. It amazes me that there is still hatred and bigotry toward these wonderfully talented and kind and gentle people.
By damn...let them get married legally! What's so tough about that?
My next topic will be "Good Christian Bigots". :-)
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