There are plenty of students who aren't happy when summer is over and a new school year has begun, but this column in the Philadelphia Daily News reminds us that GLBT students are often less enthusiastic. (Thanks to my friends at Teachthefacts.org for the link).
I know as a sometimes dorky straight kid, I caught plenty of crap in school, but as you can imagine (or, even worse, know first hand), it can get pretty rough when your sexual orientation is the point of ridicule or abuse--both verbal and physical. In my school days, I was still struggling to figure out who I was, and if I'd had to deal with the issue of being attracted to other boys when most of my friends were chasing girls, I would probably have been a total wreck.
One save haven for young men and women trying to sort this out is the gay-straight alliances that are popping up on campuses all over the United States. They won't be allowed in Georgia if attorney general candidate Perry McGuire has his way.
According to the Philly News story, McGuire has "likened gay-straight alliances (GSAs) to pedophilia and said they're illegal because they promote sex among minors: 'In Georgia, sex between minors is illegal; statutory rape laws apply. Homosexual activist clubs in schools are detrimental to students and to the moral well-being of society,' he said.
It is this kind of stupidity and bigotry that puts innocent kids at risk, not only of short-term physical harm but long-term psychological scars that many of them likely never fully recover from--in part because they are not encouraged to.
If your child or one you know is a target of this kind of abuse, I recommend you check out The Gay Lesbian and Straight Educators Network for some helpful information.
We can all also show them the true love of Christ and accept them for who they are, which will help them become who God wants them to be.
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Jim,
ReplyDeleteThis Georgia case will most likely be resolved in court, but judges can't solve the overall problem. Unfortunately, this is yet another example of church-generated hostility to Lesbians and Gay men. If you were to trace the roots of Perry McGuire's bigotry, that's where they would lead. There's absolutely no doubt in my mind about that!
What's happening in the Episcopal Church in the aftermath of Gene Robinson's ordination as a bishop needs to happen in every denomination, all over the world. It's time to do righteous battle. Conscientious Christians should beseige these so-called churches that dare to indoctrinate their congregations with hatred. They should demand that the church hierarchy stop perverting Jesus Christ's message. Do you remember a phrase from the book of Revelations: "Who is like the Beast?" Over time, a lot of theologians have speculated on the identity of "the Beast." I believe the Beast is the Christian church itself, perverted beyond recognition and turned away from its Divine purpose.
Study of both Biblical and Gnostic scripture reveals that LGBT orientation reflects the kingdom of Heaven. Passages in the 19th chapter of Matthew and the 56th chapter of Isaiah confirm that God holds a place of honor for those of us who keep his Covenant. I believe that our presence on Earth is part of God's New Covenant with mankind, and furthermore, I believe there were Lesbians and Gay men among the Christ's original disciples. If I'm right, then it's obvious why Satan attacks Gay people with such ferocity.
If we want to put an end to these anti-Gay brushfires, there's no other way to do it than to cut off their oxygen supply. A few years ago, an Italian Gay man committed suicide at the Vatican to protest the bigotry it fostered in the world. Truly, he was a Christian martyr, and an example to us all. No, we don't need to sacrifice our lives, but we do need to launch a serious, sustained worldwide protest movement against perversion of the Christian faith. It would benefit Gay people. It would benefit poor people. It would benefit women. It would benefit society as a whole. Most important of all, it would save the church!