Our phone rang early this morning. A friend told us the news. I jumped onto Facebook—my news feed was
overflowing with the announcement of the Supreme Court’s historic ruling. Same sex marriage is now legal in all 50
states. Such joy flooded the
Internet! I am thrilled that gay
relationships are finally recognized in our country. The next step is to ensure that all people
have equal rights under the law. In
Idaho that means that we need to “Add the Words” sexual orientation and gender
identity to the Idaho Human Rights Act.
A federal ruling would be even better.
I know there will be an uproar from the far right,
especially from fundamentalist Christians.
But why? How does this actually
hurt them or affect their marriages?
What really matters?
Not all that long ago I didn’t pay much attention to gay
rights. I didn’t know very many gay
people. About 6 years ago a small group
in our church offered a study on homosexuality and the Bible. I wanted to know more so I signed up. I learned about the historic context in which
the Bible verses cited by anti-gay Christians were written, plus I learned of
other interpretations. Out of this class
grew an effort to make our church a Reconciling Congregation, one that welcomes
all people including LGBT people.
Our congregation voted to become a Reconciling Congregation
4 years ago and I ended up as chair of the Reconciling Ministries Team. I began to attend events to meet members of
the LGBT community and let them know that our church is supportive. One thing led to another. I went from being acquainted with a few gay
people to knowing a broad spectrum of LGBT people. I have learned so much over the past few
years.
What have I learned?
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people aren’t that different
from me. Gay people are attracted to the
same sex, but otherwise their “lifestyles” are just like those of everyone else
I know—they work, go to school, have families, go on vacations, volunteer, and
go to church. I have met some wonderful,
interesting, and caring people. Why
should it matter who they love? Their
love for their partners/spouses is every bit as committed and deep as
mine. I think they should have the right to make it legal.
I have come to believe that gender does not matter. I know people who are gay, transgender,
gender fluid, asexual, cisgender, and more.
Human sexuality is so much more complicated and diverse than I ever
imagined. I am still learning. We are all part of God’s wonderful creation.
What really matters?
I believe that God is the Creator and cares for all of creation. We are born straight, gay, lesbian, bisexual,
transgender—and created in God’s image.
We are all one, connected in spirit to each other and to God. Let’s embrace each other. Humans share the same needs and desires. We all want to be loved and to love. Let’s also celebrate our differences. Our human diversity makes life so much more
interesting and demonstrates God’s amazing creativity. We all deserve respect and to be treated equally
under the laws of our country. Today I am
filled with joy over the Supreme Court's decision to affirm marriage equality.
