Shawn's difficult process began here.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OVVfFNW8YHI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Whgd0AvyQJM
Love is Never Wrong
Tuesday, January 1, 2013
Pray The Gay Away
You know I have so many feelings on this topic and they stir such emotion in me. Quite simply Love is love. God made no mistake and we all play a role in this world, exactly as we are. So without saying more here is Shawn's confrontation. Please view it and let him know things are alright.
Shawn's difficult process began here.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OVVfFNW8YHI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Whgd0AvyQJM
Love is Never Wrong
Shawn's difficult process began here.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OVVfFNW8YHI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Whgd0AvyQJM
Love is Never Wrong
Sunday, December 16, 2012
Unity
One of the greatest acts that can benefit a person in life is unity. The simple effort to stand by someone, give them dignity, respect, remove fear, even allow life. But many fear to do so. They fear being labeled negatively for it.
Unity should not be about fear but about what is right. It's not an easy task all the time but it is a correct one. For we should lift each other up in life. We are each other have.
When I was in high school I remember a certain class party our teacher was giving us. It had been a successful time and we were celerating. As I sat talking to others and sipping on my drink I continued to notice from the back of the room a group of young men being loud, laughing and pointing at another classmate.
This concerned me. The young man was being oh so quiet and sullen. Finally he shuffled forward to the table with refreshments I think more to escape his tormentors than to get a drink. That is when I approached him. First grabbing a cookie and just being friendly. I tired to put him at ease.
Finally I asked him why they were giving him a hard time. He said "Because I'm gay." At the time I was far from dealing with my own battles of identity but still I knew what was right. So I put my arm around his shoulder and told him "It's ok I'll talk to you." As he looked down trying to process someone accepting him I gazed up staring at the others in the back disapprovingly. It was their time to go quiet, look away in shame and consider their actions.
Unity is usually a simple act of dignity, respect, compassion, maybe even life. It is an act of what is right.
Unity = Human + Human
Maybe if we follow that equation we will see it's not gay rights. It's Human rights.
Regardless of the differences in beliefs, life choices, or identity we are all Human. In that we should all be treated Humanely. Stand! Stand with a fellow Human and give them life, love, freedom, respect, and dignity that we all deserve.
For our legacy as Humans is marked in how we treat each other. Nothing else is added to the equation.
I guess the question is will you add to Humanity or subtract?
Love is Never Wrong
Unity should not be about fear but about what is right. It's not an easy task all the time but it is a correct one. For we should lift each other up in life. We are each other have.
When I was in high school I remember a certain class party our teacher was giving us. It had been a successful time and we were celerating. As I sat talking to others and sipping on my drink I continued to notice from the back of the room a group of young men being loud, laughing and pointing at another classmate.
This concerned me. The young man was being oh so quiet and sullen. Finally he shuffled forward to the table with refreshments I think more to escape his tormentors than to get a drink. That is when I approached him. First grabbing a cookie and just being friendly. I tired to put him at ease.
Finally I asked him why they were giving him a hard time. He said "Because I'm gay." At the time I was far from dealing with my own battles of identity but still I knew what was right. So I put my arm around his shoulder and told him "It's ok I'll talk to you." As he looked down trying to process someone accepting him I gazed up staring at the others in the back disapprovingly. It was their time to go quiet, look away in shame and consider their actions.
Unity is usually a simple act of dignity, respect, compassion, maybe even life. It is an act of what is right.
Unity = Human + Human
Maybe if we follow that equation we will see it's not gay rights. It's Human rights.
Regardless of the differences in beliefs, life choices, or identity we are all Human. In that we should all be treated Humanely. Stand! Stand with a fellow Human and give them life, love, freedom, respect, and dignity that we all deserve.
For our legacy as Humans is marked in how we treat each other. Nothing else is added to the equation.
I guess the question is will you add to Humanity or subtract?
Love is Never Wrong
Sunday, August 12, 2012
I've Only Just Begun
I've never been an advocate of violence but the symbolism of our struggle in this piece is quite powerful and telling on many levels. So to the many oppressed in recent days your not alone and your struggles is just.
Love is Never Wrong
Love is Never Wrong
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
A Life of Love, A Life of Pain
In our quest of love in all its wondrous forms we tend to hide the pain. For many of us we live in pain. We hide ourselves, conceal who we are, and what we feel. We spare the others in our lives the very woes that trouble us because we don't want to pass on the pain. So many of us live in pain when we should live with it.
Pain for all the misery and heartache it brings, is not a bad thing. Only those that create pain can be termed bad. The pain we have in our lives from the smallest to the insurmountable is really the same. It is a struggle to hold on to us and not be swept away in the hurt that afflicts us so.
When we are told we are disgusting or unnatural we may brush it off and move on. We may bury it deep inside and allow it to fester eating at our very soul. Neither is healthy. We must acknowledge the trauma it has caused and change it to love. We must affirm ourselves and ensure the pain stops with us.
When when our flesh bleeds and our bones ache the physical will heal, but our mind fears repercussion. We stray away from that which hurt us. We hide, if just a bit more. We allow the strife raging across our black and blue bodies to quiet us. Physical pain can go far beyond the obvious. We must confront it and strengthen our lives to be who we are in spite of it. We must love those who cause it.
When we are oppressed by law, society, or even religion we try to conform to a mold that is not us. We try to lose ourselves in a form that only inflicts grievous torture. We suppress our very identity to please those that rarely fit their own mold. In fact though we should be who we are and embrace our distinction. No one else is like us and can be no one else, without pain.
Love and pain often go hand in hand. It is through our pain we learn to be compassionate to others. We learn sympathy, patience, even humility. The key to life with pain is to acknowledge it and bring into your life. Take all that hurt and change it to love. It won't be an easy thing to do and you may very well have days when the pain has the upper hand. Still our search for love must begin within. We must take all that pain change it.
Allow for the pain in your life. But also allow for it to be love. Take those unkind words and tell someone their beautiful, you love them, or even you appreciate them. When our bones heal and wounds fade, tend to the injured. Share your love and make their journey a little less hard. When people oppress you confront it, change it. Break down the lies and hate one person at a time, if you must. The path of love is not an easy one but it is a good one.
Love and pain are not one in the same but we can choose to take one and make it better. Love has to start somewhere so why not in you?
Love
Love is Never Wrong
Pain for all the misery and heartache it brings, is not a bad thing. Only those that create pain can be termed bad. The pain we have in our lives from the smallest to the insurmountable is really the same. It is a struggle to hold on to us and not be swept away in the hurt that afflicts us so.
When we are told we are disgusting or unnatural we may brush it off and move on. We may bury it deep inside and allow it to fester eating at our very soul. Neither is healthy. We must acknowledge the trauma it has caused and change it to love. We must affirm ourselves and ensure the pain stops with us.
When when our flesh bleeds and our bones ache the physical will heal, but our mind fears repercussion. We stray away from that which hurt us. We hide, if just a bit more. We allow the strife raging across our black and blue bodies to quiet us. Physical pain can go far beyond the obvious. We must confront it and strengthen our lives to be who we are in spite of it. We must love those who cause it.
When we are oppressed by law, society, or even religion we try to conform to a mold that is not us. We try to lose ourselves in a form that only inflicts grievous torture. We suppress our very identity to please those that rarely fit their own mold. In fact though we should be who we are and embrace our distinction. No one else is like us and can be no one else, without pain.
Love and pain often go hand in hand. It is through our pain we learn to be compassionate to others. We learn sympathy, patience, even humility. The key to life with pain is to acknowledge it and bring into your life. Take all that hurt and change it to love. It won't be an easy thing to do and you may very well have days when the pain has the upper hand. Still our search for love must begin within. We must take all that pain change it.
Allow for the pain in your life. But also allow for it to be love. Take those unkind words and tell someone their beautiful, you love them, or even you appreciate them. When our bones heal and wounds fade, tend to the injured. Share your love and make their journey a little less hard. When people oppress you confront it, change it. Break down the lies and hate one person at a time, if you must. The path of love is not an easy one but it is a good one.
Love and pain are not one in the same but we can choose to take one and make it better. Love has to start somewhere so why not in you?
Love
Love is Never Wrong
Friday, March 2, 2012
Breaking Free
I had planned another post for today but after seeing this video I wanted to share it. We all struggle and some don't get the recognition they deserve. So here are some of the stories from India. We all succeed when we lift each other up.
Love is Never Wrong
Love is Never Wrong
Thursday, March 1, 2012
What We Lose in Silence
Today I would like to offer an insightful video from allout.org.
Love is Never Wrong
Love is Never Wrong
Friday, February 24, 2012
A Voice in the Heartland
I don't normally write much of my own struggles because so many have a much worse lot in life and we all need help at some point. My efforts here have been to try and help anyone who needs it where ever they may be. However, events here at home have me concerned at the blatant contempt and hate being expressed.
In an open letter Bil Browning of the Bilerico Project summed up many of the frustrations and pains many of us in my state feel and grow up with. I'll let you read his words before continuing.
http://www.bilerico.com/2012/02/an_open_letter_to_indiana_from_a_hoosier_expatriate.php
Growing up in Indiana is a good life and its traditions and heritage as valuable as any. However, it is a different life if you are lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgendered. You learn to hide who you are, deflect questions, and feel a guilt laid upon you by an ignorant society.
Don't get me wrong we have some bastions of relative safety but in all honesty if you were to to say or do the wrong thing in the wrong place your very life could be at stake. It can be a pleasant society where all seems serene and tranquil, where nothing goes wrong but beneath its surface is a bitter brew that will unleash vile things.
In my own life I have seen much hatred and bigotry. I could list each event as if they were yesterday. I have seen a preacher destroy personal property because a person was perceived to be gay. I've seen a young man so isolated in a classroom that his tormentors taunt him with no reprisal from the teacher. I've seen the ones with bruises, scars, and blackened eyes so carefully diverted to the ground to hide, if not in shame, in pain.
In my life I have never committed a crime, I don't live in excess, I don't drink, I don't do drugs, I am not sexually promiscuous. I've never raised my fist in anger at anyone. I was a boy scout and went to church and still have my faith. My whole life I have helped others, done civic duties and volunteered. I am and have been a good citizen.
I know the call of "Is anybody out there to help?" I know the pain! You know what else I know?
I know they amend a Constitution because it was written to not discriminate against any group. I know when you seek to deny any person or group equal protections under the law you seek to do them harm. I know when you cloak yourself in words of not hating and then follow them up with words that seek to diminish me you deceive yourself as well as others. I know when you harass or berate a person simply for existing you seek to raise yourself above examination. I know when you present yourself as the savior of children you will hurt and bring about the deaths of many yourself. I know when you wrap yourself in the word of God you rarely practice it. I know...
I am a citizen. I am equal.
When the day comes and those that have committed hate realize they do not protect themselves or their beliefs but instead hurt the very people in their communities and lives I will forgive you because our lives should be about love more than hate. When those axes ground to their handle are lain down I will weep tears of joy to wash away the pools of blood.
To those who may never learn this lesson I will feel sorry for you because your life was consumed by hate and fear. You missed a life of love and surety of ones self. My heart will lay heavy that the fire of hate consumed you.
Whether it be this state, this nation, or this world we struggle so hard. Over and over we have to relearn the universal truths. People are people, love is love, and all life is sacred. If you can not know this in your heart, realize its love that creates lasting change in the world, then maybe you should consider the actions you take in life because every one of us is Human and those words, actions, and choices affects another person.
All the words and motivations voiced are false illusions. The purity of truth is how will you treat the person before you?
Will your legacy be love or hate? It's that simple.
Love is Never Wrong
In an open letter Bil Browning of the Bilerico Project summed up many of the frustrations and pains many of us in my state feel and grow up with. I'll let you read his words before continuing.
http://www.bilerico.com/2012/02/an_open_letter_to_indiana_from_a_hoosier_expatriate.php
Growing up in Indiana is a good life and its traditions and heritage as valuable as any. However, it is a different life if you are lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgendered. You learn to hide who you are, deflect questions, and feel a guilt laid upon you by an ignorant society.
Don't get me wrong we have some bastions of relative safety but in all honesty if you were to to say or do the wrong thing in the wrong place your very life could be at stake. It can be a pleasant society where all seems serene and tranquil, where nothing goes wrong but beneath its surface is a bitter brew that will unleash vile things.
In my own life I have seen much hatred and bigotry. I could list each event as if they were yesterday. I have seen a preacher destroy personal property because a person was perceived to be gay. I've seen a young man so isolated in a classroom that his tormentors taunt him with no reprisal from the teacher. I've seen the ones with bruises, scars, and blackened eyes so carefully diverted to the ground to hide, if not in shame, in pain.
In my life I have never committed a crime, I don't live in excess, I don't drink, I don't do drugs, I am not sexually promiscuous. I've never raised my fist in anger at anyone. I was a boy scout and went to church and still have my faith. My whole life I have helped others, done civic duties and volunteered. I am and have been a good citizen.
I know the call of "Is anybody out there to help?" I know the pain! You know what else I know?
I know they amend a Constitution because it was written to not discriminate against any group. I know when you seek to deny any person or group equal protections under the law you seek to do them harm. I know when you cloak yourself in words of not hating and then follow them up with words that seek to diminish me you deceive yourself as well as others. I know when you harass or berate a person simply for existing you seek to raise yourself above examination. I know when you present yourself as the savior of children you will hurt and bring about the deaths of many yourself. I know when you wrap yourself in the word of God you rarely practice it. I know...
I am a citizen. I am equal.
When the day comes and those that have committed hate realize they do not protect themselves or their beliefs but instead hurt the very people in their communities and lives I will forgive you because our lives should be about love more than hate. When those axes ground to their handle are lain down I will weep tears of joy to wash away the pools of blood.
To those who may never learn this lesson I will feel sorry for you because your life was consumed by hate and fear. You missed a life of love and surety of ones self. My heart will lay heavy that the fire of hate consumed you.
Whether it be this state, this nation, or this world we struggle so hard. Over and over we have to relearn the universal truths. People are people, love is love, and all life is sacred. If you can not know this in your heart, realize its love that creates lasting change in the world, then maybe you should consider the actions you take in life because every one of us is Human and those words, actions, and choices affects another person.
All the words and motivations voiced are false illusions. The purity of truth is how will you treat the person before you?
Will your legacy be love or hate? It's that simple.
Love is Never Wrong
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