Four years ago this summer, we were in San Francisco for the Pride Parade, cheering side by side with people from all walks of life who thought like me--that it didn't matter who you loved. In the wake of one of the most horrific shootings in our country--in Florida--it was also a remembrance to lives lost in the Orlando nightclub shooting. I found the event very emotional, yet so uplifting and hopeful.
Recently, a friend of ours came out on social media during Pride Week. While her parents have known for some time, not so the extended family, and so her reveal might be a game-changer in those dynamics, and it got me thinking how little progress we've made in four years.
Why is coming out still a thing?
Maybe it's being quarantined--coupled with the racial awakening in our country--that's got me feeling this way, but I sit on Sunday mornings listening to local online ministers preaching for us to be non-judgemental, to treat one another with respect, and to love our fellow humankind, and I wonder--how many in the congregations are even hearing that message?
Looking at our country's state right now--and don't even get me started on the horrific Facebook posts--I'd say very few.
Believe me, I'm not immune to that criticism. With the losses experienced in quarantine, I've taken a good, long look inside, and I haven't always liked what I've seen. I'm definitely judgemental, and I have more of my mother's faults than I care to admit. While my heart says I'm needed to solve problems, my children have pointed out to me numerous times that listening does more healing.
Easier said than done. Have you seen my mouth?
In all seriousness, we need to step up and progress with the world. Things are different than when we grew up, but guess what? They were different in our world than they were in our parents' and so on and so forth. We're adaptable. Things haven't been working so great thus far, have they?
It takes little effort to stop and listen. To HEAR. Then take the time to reflect and be open to change. Let's not look back in four years and wonder why the rest of the world has gone on without us.
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