The Courage to Imagine a New World

I used to think…

That everyone was just like me and my family… or should be. That when I was forced to think about LGBTQ people, I was uncomfortable. That I wished these people no ill but they really had nothing to do with me…

…but now…

over the past 30 years I have become aware of the spectrum that is gender and sexual orientation. I have become aware of the many people in my community who have had to hide who they are, who have suffered, who have been excluded. I have been able to put faces and names to those people. I think I have broadened my view of the world. This would not have happened but for the courageous people who knew a wrong, who could imagine a new world and who had the courage to take a stand, the strength to hold that stand and the patience to wait for the rest of us to catch up.

I like where my church stands today. But I have learned that when I am too comfortable, the world is probably ready for another shift. What opinions do I hold today that need to be held up to be re-examined?

Signed, John

(Shared with permission. Photo: Wix.)

#transformed #LGBTQ #1988 #gender #sexuality