I'm doing pretty well right now. I'm on spring break and having a good time relaxing, working out, and catching up on sleep. I'm working on my next post, which I'll probably post latter tonight.
Thought I'd drop a quick post to let y'all know that for the purposes of this blog I created an e-mail account. Feel free to e-mail me at jordan.outloud@gmail.com.
Also, do people chat online? Through what tool/medium? apparently Google has a chat feature... I dunno what are you kids using now a days? (i feel so technologically inept)
On an unrelated note I watched "Milk" last night. Good movie, timeless message. I don't know why but whenever I think about issues of social justice my soul stirs. The messages of love, inclusivism, and equality never fail to resonate within me. If you haven't seen Milk, see it. It's really moving--heck i was brought to tears several times while watching it.
It is a relevant movie to watch in the wake of the passing of prop 8. It reminds us youngsters that there are those who have gone before us who have struggled with the same institutions and powers. It also reminds us that progress has been made, and that if we continue to stand up for what is right we will continue to progress. After watching it I was hopeful that one day homosexuals may receive the social and political acceptance that they long for and so deserve.
Anyways, I was looking around on youtube for speeches of Harvey Milk and i came across this:
This speech is given by the actually Harvey Milk. Pretty moving shit.
It really irks me when opponents of gay rights talk about gay people as if they are an established group of people who are intentionally trying to subvert family values. What these people fail to realize is that their sons, daughters, cousins, nieces, and nephews are gay. In all their hate filled rants and discriminating policies the people whom they predominantly hurt are their own young.
I once researched the statistics on gay youths committing suicide. I don't remember my sources, so i could be wrong, but I calculated that there are at least 10, 000 suicides per year committed by gay youths due to depression caused by social pressures. That's a lot of kids. And think of the thousands of more kids who suffer from depression and harassment. It breaks my heart. I don't understand how Christians can so adamantly labor against the well being of their own children.
With that uplifting note I end my post
Jordan
Core memory unlocked!
5 years ago
7 comments:
well put!
Yeah, Christian parents need to realize that gay children are, in the words of the American Catholic Bishops' letter, "always our children." Because of all the pressures which can come when one realizes one is gay, parents need to reassure their children of their unconditional love, and help them deal with the pressure.
Of course, the parents will try to encourage the children to live moral lives, according to their beliefs, but this should not diminish the love. And ultimately, they have to respect their children's right to follow their own consciences.
"In all their hate filled rants and discriminating policies the people whom they predominantly hurt are their own young."
Hear hear.
What we need is a place where kids can be ok with not knowing what side of the line they fall on, and being able to talk to the people most important in their growing up - their parents - about it. But that is such a long way off for most parents and kids :(
That last paragraph really choked me up. Brought back a lot of unpleasant memories from my teen years. It really is sad that so many young lives are wasted due to hate, ignorance and intolerance. I know i walked that line when i was in high school.
naturegasetz-
i agree that parents need to extend the same unconditional love to their children which God already has.
I think that we may disagree about what a 'moral life' implicates, but that's ok. I don't care to start a theological argument.
What i really respect about your position is that you said, "and ultimately they have to respect their children's right to follow their own conscience." This kind of respect is so often absent in the culture i find myself. Often there is not the freedom of thought and action which allows parents to 'respect their children's decisions'. The dictum is often, 'our way or the highway'. And i think we both know that such a dictum is not compatible with unconditional love. So props to you!
Kiwi and Deadwing,
Thanks for the comments. and agreed we need a place where kids can feel comfortable talking about their sexual feelings to their parents and other authority figures. i think so much pain and confusion could be averted by an accepting society. It's a long way off, but i think with some effort we can make a positive impact on this world (even if it's one person). Makes me want to get involved counseling youth...
peace
You're absolutely right. Christians, or anyone, turning on "the gays" are inevitably turning on someone that they know and that is dear to their heart. And that is very, very saddening. It's the main reason I didn't come out for so long, even after I figured things out. I was deathly afraid of what all my religious family and friends would say/do.
As for IM, use MSN, AIM, and GoogleTalk. AIM's more common for your USA users, but MSN for international users. The names are in my profile. ^_^
10,000 suicides per year. think of how much good these kids could have done. it's really sad :(
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