May we find our compassion…
Dear United Church,
I am thinking of ways we could acknowledge the trauma and harm done to LGBTQ folks in the past and maybe ongoingly in a way that enriches our relationships with them and among all members. If it is a form of lament can it address the general tribal fear of others who differ — can we see in our sorrow over the pat and the ability to imagine being on the receiving end of our past exclusion/vitriol/cold-heartedness… and the possibility of when we tend toward the same behavior again?
Can we do it as a sort of “note to self”? Can we acknowledge not only the diminishment to “the other”, but also diminshment of ourselves as indiiduals and communities. And acknowledge that the paossibiity to turn around and in so doing fulfill becoming our best selves?
May we open our eyes and hearts to the hurt we have caused by excluding or ridiculing LGBTQ folks. May we be aware of our cowardly fear of supporting LGBTQ poeple, aware that we might attract condemnation or ridicule of people ignorant of what they are doing to these folks. May we find our compassion, our back-bone and our best creative skills for dialoguing and communicating and lobbying for inclusion of memeber of all LGBTQ communities and practice these new inclusion approaches always.
~ Anonymous
