Nov 27, 2009

ATTENTION ANGLICAN PRIMATES/BISHOPS: ¨None of us are exempt¨



Recently, while pursuing actions related to the VILE ¨Anti-Homosexuality¨ proposed law before the Ugandan Parliament I discovered a NEW BLOG ¨Living Out Loud with Darian¨ HERE . Darians blog I quickly added to my sidebar because the author spoke directly to my heart with clearcut sensibilities and STRAIGHT FORWARD reporting from the ¨frontlines¨ of everyday LGBT life. You know, the kind of words of ¨right vs. wrong¨ clarity that once we assumed only were owned and belonged to religious (appearing) heteroseuxals who PREACHED at us because we PRETENDED homosexuality didn´t really exist and we must not matter anyway if we did exist, we were mostly writeoffs as human beings, we had seeped through the cracks of society and lived on edge.

If ¨Gay existed ¨they¨ were a subject that wasn´t often discussed for FEAR of discovery and/or brutal consequences of the, discrimination/outcasting, HATE CRIME generating kind...or simply ¨they/Gay¨ were considered demented sinfilled clowns acting out in the ¨side show¨ of life...best to be ignored, whenever possible, by family and friends sort of like locking up a drunk aged aunt in the attic...except that we hung out at the local dark, really dark, Gay Bar.

Darian reminds me that LGBT people are part of EVERYONES everyday life. We aren´t weird or evil. We are your brothers, sisters, Moms, Dads, cousins, nephews, schoolmates, coworkers and everyday best friends and passing acquaintances. We are no more likely to be ¨sinfilled perverts or clowns¨ than our heterosexual counterparts. We are people just like YOU!

These past few years I´ve been following the progression of ¨out of the closet¨ activitism by LGBT citizens (often with worldwide scope and often at The Episcopal Church/Anglican Communion). I´ve discovered the very worst reactions that ¨deep down¨ I knew to exist, do exist amongst millions of folks worldwide. HERE I´ve noted time after time that danger lurks for LGBT Christians/citizens both now and in the decades long history of HORRORS at CHURCH HERE

In my own experience of ¨horrors¨ --both self-inflicted and not-- there have been times when I actually bought into the ugly stories generated about people like me. It took years for me to FULLY discover that Gods gift to me was the actual, authentic person of me! It took years for me to see that God simply wanted me to be me and that meant that I would have to become more responsible and accountable too...the hardest part was facing, and not running away from REALITY!

·I have always known that my College friend, Brad, need not have killed himself after his Father caught him with his arm casually draped over the shoulder of his male friend while sleeping over at his folks house in a doublesized bed one weekend after a football game. I went to the funeral, I saw Brad in his coffin and I looked at his expressionless Dad...I looked into his blank stare and I did not speak.

·I have always known that my College friend, Phil need not have killed himself after his first, and only, lover left him without a word, without a note but left him for another man. I went to Phils funeral, I saw Phil in his coffin. I saw him being buried at the Cemetery at Santa Clara. His former ¨loved one¨ was not there. But there were hundreds of bewildered family members and family friends present at the luncheon afterward who didn´t understand why musically very talented Phil died. They grabbed us, hugged us, looked deeply into our eyes with great joy to know that Phils ¨friends¨ were there...a Fraternity Brother and a female friend and I were the only ¨friends¨ in attendence but somehow we seemed to ¨grow into many people¨ like loves and fishes.

·I have always wondered why my dear Jose died. He was murdered in his own home execution style just two weeks short of being 35. He was a kind and gentle person who was not into drugs and always, yes always, HELPED everyone at all levels of society. Why did he die? His death is yet another act done by unthinkable madness. Jose was not a permiscous man but a man with a loving easy-going soul. Why was he murdered? I went to visit him at his tomb to honor him and tell him how I still love him on All Saints day. It´s over eleven years later now and I still don´t know why this good and loving man is dead.

·I think of the young suicides HERE that we´ve seen so many of (documented here at my blog) recently, within the past year. I think of the many and increasing brutal hate crimes generated in the name of a God HERE that I´ve never known.

I think of Archbishop Orombi of Uganda and Archbishop Akinola of Nigeria as they promote/instigate by endorsing ¨legalized¨ hate campaigns against Anglican, Christian and other LGBT FAMILIES. Families and people they will never know, and certainly never knew anything about their innermost character, hearts and/or souls of those whom they marginalized and damn to Hell. You see, Bishops Orombi and Akinola are amongst other grandstanding blowhards seeped in ignorance and feardriven bigotry who only ¨listen¨ to the sound of their own rationalized vicious voices and their ¨conservative¨ backers/accomplices in the United States HERE

Back to Darian and his ¨Living Out Loud with Darian¨ blog. This morning Darian greeted us with a THANKSGIVING FAMILY PORTRAIT including his very best wishes for us all during this Season of Thanksgiving, 2009...I immediately thought of my friends in Uganda, Nigeria, Kenya and Jamaica who I believe will find a measure of HOPE in Darians message from his family and most of us in the United States too...afterall, as Darian says ¨None of us are exempt¨ read it all, click HERE

Onward! I challenge Dr. Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury, Ugandan (refugee) Archbishop John, Lord of York, Katharine Jefferts Schori, Primate of The Episcopal Church and ALL the Anglican PRIMATES and ALL the BISHOPS of The ANGLICAN COMMUNION to speak out immediately against the murderous anti-Homosexuality Bill pending at the Parliament of Uganda.. The faux religious slandering that promotes hate crime atrocities must STOP!

Lord have mercy

·Thanks to Darian
·Thanks to Living Out Loud with Darian, sidebar
·Thanks to Father Jake, sidebar
·Thanks to Brad, Phil and Jose (for being my friends)
·Thanks to The Reverend Colin Coward
·Thanks to Changing Attitudes, United Kingdom

6 comments:

Göran Koch-Swahne said...

Amen, amen!

motheramelia said...

Yes, LGBT people are part of all of our lives. It takes some of us a little time to recognize it, but LGBT people are people with the same fears, hopes and dreams that I have. The senseless suicides when someone despairs at being able to be themselves and the horrific murders when the murderer cannot accept the other are heartbreaking.

Leonardo you are an amazing man.

Anonymous said...

Leonardo,
It's time some of the ignorant Christians who intentionally and unintentionally spread hatred and bigotry read your blog. I truly believe many of these people live in a vacuum and fear looking around at the real world. Maybe it's because their biblical interpretations would not stand the test so it's safer for them to keep their heads buried in the sand. All they are really doing is missing out wonderful people and experiences and hardening their own hearts even more.
Keep up your wonderful blog. If only it could be made more accessible to those who really need a lesson in understanding.

Erika Baker said...

Once your heart changes your biblical interpretation changes too.
Sometimes I wish there was more I could do against this filthy tide of hatred and fear. Simply living my life openly doesn't seem to be enough. But maybe it helps a little to make more and more normal people realise that they too know "one of them" and that we really are just like everyone else.

Thanks for your post!
(BTW did you see that I continued our facebook conversation by sending you an FB message? Maybe you don't get message alerts and have missed it)

Leonard said...

I think the Primates, and other ¨religious¨ designated leaders DO MORE to HELP their followers understand that this HOMOPHOBIA really is a worldwide problem...of course the immediate dangers of murder and violent abuse are strongly focused in Uganda, Nigeria, Jamaica and Iran and Iraq...but, in GENERAL we need ¨moral leadership¨ and enlightenment of the masses to help us survive this wave of dangerous propaganda...the leadership at The Anglican Communion is far weaker than one might expect...far less honorable than one might imagine and are heavily tarnishing their standing in society...the conservatives will fail their bloodthirsty campaign (eventually) and the remaining clergy will be the less cowardly progressives...leaders are respected for their courage quite often...not for their fecklessness or viciousness directed against fellow Christians/others...+Rowan is lost in the complex muddle of his own making. Quite a waste of talent that revealed a weak character as it turns out. York, is simply a operator.

Lynn said...

Dearest Leonardo,

Though your stories break my heart, I owe you so much for bringing them here. Washington DC/Metro isn't a particularly difficult place for LBG and Ts, so I've been pretty sheltered despite having three close friends in the community, and more casual friendships at work and through music/theater.

I used to be less likely to speak out, usually just smoothing things over to change "the subject." I know even sound out guys on the second date for all kinds of bigotry, but particularly about LGBTs and Christianity. It's amazing how hesitant straight men can be about tolerance, but with positive "reinforcement" will talk of a gay family member, or co-worker, or college friend who made them see the world a different way.

Keep up the good work, and I'll go visit Darian's blog later.

(watch for an email on the renovation tales...)

Lynn