1988 and trans people today
I was there in 1988 and I remember how joyful I was that the United Church was at last accepting of gay and lesbian people, and ministers. However we still had a long way to go as I know that there were so many people who were opposed to this decision and had left the church, so we were a broken community.
Now 30 years have passed and the “issue” does not seem to be such a big one. Many have had a change of heart as more and more people in the gay community have “come out” and are no longer in the closet. But am I kidding myself? Some of the stories I have heard today still tell of hatred, violence, prejudice and discrimination, especially directed to transgendered people. They seem to be the next new targets. What have we learned since 1988?
I think an apology is due to the LGBGTQ community from the church for the way we have treated people of this community in the past and the way some of us continue to regard them. We refuse to learn the lessons of the past, and some minds are closed and hardened. I pray that all may be open to acceptance of God’s great diversity, that all who are made in God’s image be accepted as our brothers and sisters regardless of sexuality.
~ Anonymous
(Shared with permission. Photo: Wix.)
