I was feeling pretty threadbare as it is. IT DID NOT help seeing mormons on bikes in my neighborhood. Ever since prop 8, I have been angry. ANGRY. How dare someone try to legalize they ways of my heart! I have, do and will love very deeply with this heart, with this soul. My love toward another human being cannot and WILL NOT be voted on by a community of people who have nothing to do with the inner workings of my soul! Get out of my love life and GET OUT OF MY NEIGHBORHOOD! I don't molest children, worship the devil, want to wreck your marriage, marry animals, burn your churches or whatever other bullshit they come up with to demonize me. I do, however, want an obscenely large piece of chocolate cake with a glass of whole milk. I want to meet someone and have butterflies, I want to live in Europe, I want to perfect at least one language other than English. I want to feel free in the land of the free. I'd love for Americans to have a world view, to take off the red white and blue glasses and see that we are all one! I really want to be identified as a man, rather than a gay man. Yes, I do gay things, its part of me and I love it. And on that note, please stop using gay as a pejorative word. I want to find another sangha so I can build up my withering spiritual self. I want to succeed at work. I want to stop feeling over-whelmed with house work. I want help in life. Sometimes I just feel its too much to handle as the 'stoic single.' Does this sound human (Not gay human, just human) to you? It does to me!
Ok, back to the Mormons. I did not run them over. I didn't throw my chocolate cake at them. I did however, scream the words, "Wrong neighborhood!" as I drove past. Was that the most tactful way of handling the situation. No. One should never lash out in anger. A better approach? Maybe I could have calmly approached them, introduced myself, and discussed what exactly they thought they could accomplish in a gay neighborhood. I could have explained my frustration (which I am positive is shared by others) Something, however, tells me that they would have just ridden off before any of this could happen.
The Mormons I know are wonderful people. I do my best to let them be the stereotype in my head. My old neighbors were amazing. And boy could she cook! She used to take me on trips to her freezer for cookies...drool...and this lady at work. She loves her some gays, curses, supports HIV causes, does drag makeup, listens when people talk and is a lot of fun to be around!
I can understand being raised with a religion and thinking its beautiful. I think Catholicism is a beautiful religion. I love the stand up, sit down, drink the wine...err...Christ's blood...Christianity in general is an amazing tradition filled with love and grace. It just takes a few extremists to give good people from all walks of life a bad rap. I.E. those who supported Prop 8, al-Qaida, PETA, stupid american tourists, Tyson Chicken, Ann Coulter, pedophile priests, Jan Couch (please, someone find her some waterproof mascara!)
So now that I've totally rambled off path, what I'm really trying to say is, oh hell, I don't know any more. I've had most of that cake, and I feel like a human again. Just love people, love. Even when they are in your hood trying to bring you down. Just believe in love and life will happen!
Peace, Love and Flower Power!
You said it well, friend.
ReplyDeleteI keep wondering what the fundamentalists would say if we tried to legislate THEIR morality. You could hear the noise all the way to China. It bothers me that so many "Christians" act the complete opposite of the way Jesus would have, all the while self-righteously thumping their Bibles.
ReplyDelete(I would have thrown my cake.)
I love you, Chris!!!! I try to love everyone, however hard it may be at times, but I NEVER would hate someone, based on their love interests. That's really none of my business. Prop 8, by focusing on a few wealthy and extremist Mormons, put a bad light on my faith. What everyone needs to know is that we have NEVER been taught to hate. There are those who choose to use their financial and religious clout to perpetuate animosity. These people DO NOT and NEVER WILL speak for me. I am very proud to be Mormon (however imperfect I may be) and I also LOVE my brother, who as it just so happens, is gay. I don't discriminate, nor do I associate with those who do. Like I told you earlier today, I go by the verse in Matthew 7:1 "Judge not, lest ye be judged" I'm rather embarrassed by those few who oxymoronically believe that they're actually doing something good, by acting so poorly. it's shameful and sickening. But I also don't think that documentaries that don't get all of the facts right should be shown in theaters either. and there's the rub....
ReplyDeleteGen, thank you for being the change that we all want to see in the world!
ReplyDeleteGennifer knows how to act like a Christian! And to all the haters I say, "go thou and do likewise!"
ReplyDelete