Eye-opener
Oct. 21st, 2004 12:07 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
candylandHere at school, we have things called ACES: Academic and Cultural Events Series. What that means is they bring in various acts and speakers and whatnot to lecture or perform and the like. Some are fairly boring (usually the academic ones), but the cultural ones tend to be really good. But last night, there was an academic ACES that really had my attention.
TimeOut is the name of our campus GLBTSA organization. For those of you who don't know, that's Gay-Lesbian-Bisexual-Transgender-Straight Alliance. It's one of the larger and more active groups on campus, with members of every orientation, straight or otherwise. I'm a member, and proud of it. Earlier this year, they had a drag show on campus--they brought a drag queen in from Des Moines to do a show. I didn't get to go, but I heard about it. One of my residents has a two-year-old daughter, and she took her daughter to the drag show. At one point, this little girl (her name is Liz) jumped out of her chair and ran up to the stage. The drag-queen was just delighted--she picked up Liz and started dancing with her. I think that's just fantastic.
Last night, they brought in Judy Shepherd to speak. Judy Shepherd is the mother of Matthew Shepherd. In case you aren't familiar with that name, Matthew Shepherd was a twenty-one-year-old man; in October of 1998, he was taken out into a field by two men, beaten to a bloody pulp, tied to a fence-post, and left for dead in the cold. He was there for eighteen hours before he was found and rushed to a hospital, where he died a couple days later. He was brutally murdered in cold blood--just because he was gay. Since his death, his mother has started speaking around the country to end the hate, so getting to hear her talk was an experience I did NOT want to miss.
We started by watching a short video, and then Judy herself came out, and started by telling a few jokes--which surprised me. She said she had just turnd fifty and joined AARP, and part of her membership deal was a fan (which she showed us), because she said she was going through her own personal summer. She also thanked us for not having record-breaking highs (it's been getting colder around here--the temperature at night usually drops below thirty as we draw nearer to winter). Then she read us a speech--it was the speech she had written and read aloud at the trial of one of Matthew's killers. The court often asks a family member or friend to make such a speech to try and explain their loss to the court, jury, and everyone else involved. I don't know if I'd be able to do it in her situation.
This was being held in our campus chapel. The place was packed--I'd guess there were at least a couple hundred people there. And I don't think there was a single person in that sanctuary that wasn't affected by her words as she read that speech, talked about her son, the call that told them of his condition, and the moment when they let him go. Many people were crying openly, myself and my friends among them. I truly believe that no matter what everyone's thoughts on GLBT, if they weren't moved at all then they really have hearts of stone.
She talked about hate, and how it does nothing but destroy. She talked about the gay community. And she said something that really made an impression on me. At another speaking engagement, someone suggested to her that there should be one day a year where everyone in the GLBTS Alliance--gay or straight--should paint themselves blue. It might not be realistic, necessarily, but think about it. Conservatively, statistics say that one person in every ten is gay. And then they say conservatively that every gay person has five allies. In reality, it should probably be more like a hundred, but that's neither here nor there. If every GLBT person, and all of their allies did all paint themselves blue on one day, how many blue people would there be? I think the numbers would be amazing, I really do.
It was just a really moving experience, and I really admire her. She made some jokes throughout the talk, she talked about that federal marriage amendment that had been proposed to the Constitution, and the implications of that (*coughBULLSHITcough*). But that she can joke and smile and talk about this is really admirable, I think. She's taken a horrifying personal tragedy and made it into a cause that she's willing to fight for. I do admire her--I don't think anyone, especially a mother, could ever completely get over losing a child, especially in such a brutal manner.
Her son, Matthew Shepherd, has become a martyr for a cause that is picking up speed and volume and won't be silenced. I don't know what everyone's views are out there, but I do have a few thoughts on the matter. I started this LJ...well, initially because Kyte-chan was going to beat me over the head if I didn't, but also as an avenue for my thoughts. Here's what I think on the whole matter.
I was outraged when I heard about the proposed marriage amendment. I don't believe in legislating "morality" because I don't believe it's possible. Everyone's morals are different, and while certain things, like killing and stealing, are bad by almost all standards, there's a lot of gray area that you can't automatically solve with laws and prison terms.
I also don't believe that the Bible holds every single answer. Before any of you go on a religious crusade against me, allow me to make myself clear: I am a devout Christian. I have been my whole life, and a lot of people who know me would be able to tell you the same thing. I'm baptized and confirmed Catholic, though I have a few issues with the Church, and prefer to profess myself simply as Christian. I don't need a middle-man between me and God. My parents always told me to figure out my own beliefs, and one of those beliefs that I have come to realize is that not every answer can be found in the Bible. Anyone can take the Holy Book and interpret it however they want to satisfy their own ends. With so many different interpretations, I don't think it's possible to use it to justify things.
If you look at the Bible, specifically the New Testament, it is the story of a man's life--Jesus Christ. He was born, lived, and died as any other man. He died for our sins. And if there is one lesson I think everyone needs to take from the Bible, it is what Jesus said. "Love thy neighbor." He didn't say love thy WHITE neighbor. He didn't say love thy STRAIGHT neighbor. He said love they neighbor.
If you want to get technical about the Bible, it also says "Let he among you who is without sin cast the first stone." I have yet to meet ANYONE who is completely spotless (no matter what they say). This includes me--I ain't perfect, and I'm not claiming to be. Does it not also say that only God is fit to judge? So stop judging. And if you want to get REALLY technical about crimes against God and going against the Bible, how about this? Have you ever eaten shellfish, worked on a Sunday (and I'm sure this includes homework, for all us procrastinators), man who has ever shaved his beard (for men), and spoken out or gone against your husband's wishes (for women)? Congratulations! You have gone against the Bible. Hell, there's actually a law in some translations/interpetations of the Bible that say the day after the wedding, the newly-married couple is supposed to display the bloody sheets to prove that they consummated their union and that the bride was a virgin. I don't know ANYONE who has done that--are they going to hell?
Also, all these Christians who say to be gay is a crime against God and you're going straight to hell if you are? Please shut up. I have no patience for the people who created a website that actually lists the number of hours that Matthew Shepherd has supposedly been burning in hell. Those kind of radicals are giving the rest of us a bad name.
Then there's all this talk about the sanctity of marriage. Excuse me while I laugh. If I may quote Judy Shepherd, "The sanctity of marriage, Senator? Is that your first marriage, your second marriage, your third marriage...?" She got a full round of applause for that. When the divorce rate in this country drops again, when abuse cases go down, when deadbeat parents start paying up, I would love to hear what they have to say about the sanctity of marriage. Frankly, I don't believe in it. I know that sounds sad, and maybe I'm just disillusioned or cynical or whatever, but it's the truth.
And my final argument (for this journal entry, at least) is the argument of marriage as a foundation of our society--I take serious issue with that. At best, I'll say it's arguable, and throw a few back at you: without even thinking about it. A hundred and fifty years ago, slavery was a foundation of our society. A hundred years ago, the idea that women were inferior to men and not even intelligent enough to vote or work outside the home was a foundation of our society. Fifty years ago, the idea of 'seperate but equal,' discriminating against African Americans was considered a foundation of our society. Anyone seeing a pattern? That's at the kindest, saying that the 'foundation' idea is arguable.
At the risk of sounding bitchy (not that I overly care), I think the 'foundation of our society' argument is flat out WRONG. The foundation of our society is the fact that a group of intelligent, able individuals (must...not...make jokes...about...the President...) got together and decided that they would risk their lives for their cause, that they wanted to be freed from the grasp of a tyrannical leader. The true basis of America is that idea--freedom from oppression. Anyone else see the irony in that? Anyone at all?
It does break my heart that the leaders of one of the world's most powerful nations (not necessarily well-liked at this point, but let's not be nit-picky...) would try to continue this tradition of ignorance and intolerance. We should be working towards understanding, educating each other, so that someday there will be tolerance and eventually, ideally, acceptance. Perhaps I'm a bit of an idealist in that idea, but what's the alternative? More Matthew Shepherds? Innocent people murdered for who they are? That might be a bit of an extreme, but it's a frightening thought--to me, at least.
Because maybe I'm strange, maybe I'm crazy, but I just don't understand why the government and so much of the population seeks to oppress and punish their fellow human beings for doing something that many of these people apparently haven't learned to do yet--they're harming people for knowing how to love. And that doesn't seem to leave much hope for the rest of us.
Until next time,
Candy-chan
TimeOut is the name of our campus GLBTSA organization. For those of you who don't know, that's Gay-Lesbian-Bisexual-Transgender-Straight Alliance. It's one of the larger and more active groups on campus, with members of every orientation, straight or otherwise. I'm a member, and proud of it. Earlier this year, they had a drag show on campus--they brought a drag queen in from Des Moines to do a show. I didn't get to go, but I heard about it. One of my residents has a two-year-old daughter, and she took her daughter to the drag show. At one point, this little girl (her name is Liz) jumped out of her chair and ran up to the stage. The drag-queen was just delighted--she picked up Liz and started dancing with her. I think that's just fantastic.
Last night, they brought in Judy Shepherd to speak. Judy Shepherd is the mother of Matthew Shepherd. In case you aren't familiar with that name, Matthew Shepherd was a twenty-one-year-old man; in October of 1998, he was taken out into a field by two men, beaten to a bloody pulp, tied to a fence-post, and left for dead in the cold. He was there for eighteen hours before he was found and rushed to a hospital, where he died a couple days later. He was brutally murdered in cold blood--just because he was gay. Since his death, his mother has started speaking around the country to end the hate, so getting to hear her talk was an experience I did NOT want to miss.
We started by watching a short video, and then Judy herself came out, and started by telling a few jokes--which surprised me. She said she had just turnd fifty and joined AARP, and part of her membership deal was a fan (which she showed us), because she said she was going through her own personal summer. She also thanked us for not having record-breaking highs (it's been getting colder around here--the temperature at night usually drops below thirty as we draw nearer to winter). Then she read us a speech--it was the speech she had written and read aloud at the trial of one of Matthew's killers. The court often asks a family member or friend to make such a speech to try and explain their loss to the court, jury, and everyone else involved. I don't know if I'd be able to do it in her situation.
This was being held in our campus chapel. The place was packed--I'd guess there were at least a couple hundred people there. And I don't think there was a single person in that sanctuary that wasn't affected by her words as she read that speech, talked about her son, the call that told them of his condition, and the moment when they let him go. Many people were crying openly, myself and my friends among them. I truly believe that no matter what everyone's thoughts on GLBT, if they weren't moved at all then they really have hearts of stone.
She talked about hate, and how it does nothing but destroy. She talked about the gay community. And she said something that really made an impression on me. At another speaking engagement, someone suggested to her that there should be one day a year where everyone in the GLBTS Alliance--gay or straight--should paint themselves blue. It might not be realistic, necessarily, but think about it. Conservatively, statistics say that one person in every ten is gay. And then they say conservatively that every gay person has five allies. In reality, it should probably be more like a hundred, but that's neither here nor there. If every GLBT person, and all of their allies did all paint themselves blue on one day, how many blue people would there be? I think the numbers would be amazing, I really do.
It was just a really moving experience, and I really admire her. She made some jokes throughout the talk, she talked about that federal marriage amendment that had been proposed to the Constitution, and the implications of that (*coughBULLSHITcough*). But that she can joke and smile and talk about this is really admirable, I think. She's taken a horrifying personal tragedy and made it into a cause that she's willing to fight for. I do admire her--I don't think anyone, especially a mother, could ever completely get over losing a child, especially in such a brutal manner.
Her son, Matthew Shepherd, has become a martyr for a cause that is picking up speed and volume and won't be silenced. I don't know what everyone's views are out there, but I do have a few thoughts on the matter. I started this LJ...well, initially because Kyte-chan was going to beat me over the head if I didn't, but also as an avenue for my thoughts. Here's what I think on the whole matter.
I was outraged when I heard about the proposed marriage amendment. I don't believe in legislating "morality" because I don't believe it's possible. Everyone's morals are different, and while certain things, like killing and stealing, are bad by almost all standards, there's a lot of gray area that you can't automatically solve with laws and prison terms.
I also don't believe that the Bible holds every single answer. Before any of you go on a religious crusade against me, allow me to make myself clear: I am a devout Christian. I have been my whole life, and a lot of people who know me would be able to tell you the same thing. I'm baptized and confirmed Catholic, though I have a few issues with the Church, and prefer to profess myself simply as Christian. I don't need a middle-man between me and God. My parents always told me to figure out my own beliefs, and one of those beliefs that I have come to realize is that not every answer can be found in the Bible. Anyone can take the Holy Book and interpret it however they want to satisfy their own ends. With so many different interpretations, I don't think it's possible to use it to justify things.
If you look at the Bible, specifically the New Testament, it is the story of a man's life--Jesus Christ. He was born, lived, and died as any other man. He died for our sins. And if there is one lesson I think everyone needs to take from the Bible, it is what Jesus said. "Love thy neighbor." He didn't say love thy WHITE neighbor. He didn't say love thy STRAIGHT neighbor. He said love they neighbor.
If you want to get technical about the Bible, it also says "Let he among you who is without sin cast the first stone." I have yet to meet ANYONE who is completely spotless (no matter what they say). This includes me--I ain't perfect, and I'm not claiming to be. Does it not also say that only God is fit to judge? So stop judging. And if you want to get REALLY technical about crimes against God and going against the Bible, how about this? Have you ever eaten shellfish, worked on a Sunday (and I'm sure this includes homework, for all us procrastinators), man who has ever shaved his beard (for men), and spoken out or gone against your husband's wishes (for women)? Congratulations! You have gone against the Bible. Hell, there's actually a law in some translations/interpetations of the Bible that say the day after the wedding, the newly-married couple is supposed to display the bloody sheets to prove that they consummated their union and that the bride was a virgin. I don't know ANYONE who has done that--are they going to hell?
Also, all these Christians who say to be gay is a crime against God and you're going straight to hell if you are? Please shut up. I have no patience for the people who created a website that actually lists the number of hours that Matthew Shepherd has supposedly been burning in hell. Those kind of radicals are giving the rest of us a bad name.
Then there's all this talk about the sanctity of marriage. Excuse me while I laugh. If I may quote Judy Shepherd, "The sanctity of marriage, Senator? Is that your first marriage, your second marriage, your third marriage...?" She got a full round of applause for that. When the divorce rate in this country drops again, when abuse cases go down, when deadbeat parents start paying up, I would love to hear what they have to say about the sanctity of marriage. Frankly, I don't believe in it. I know that sounds sad, and maybe I'm just disillusioned or cynical or whatever, but it's the truth.
And my final argument (for this journal entry, at least) is the argument of marriage as a foundation of our society--I take serious issue with that. At best, I'll say it's arguable, and throw a few back at you: without even thinking about it. A hundred and fifty years ago, slavery was a foundation of our society. A hundred years ago, the idea that women were inferior to men and not even intelligent enough to vote or work outside the home was a foundation of our society. Fifty years ago, the idea of 'seperate but equal,' discriminating against African Americans was considered a foundation of our society. Anyone seeing a pattern? That's at the kindest, saying that the 'foundation' idea is arguable.
At the risk of sounding bitchy (not that I overly care), I think the 'foundation of our society' argument is flat out WRONG. The foundation of our society is the fact that a group of intelligent, able individuals (must...not...make jokes...about...the President...) got together and decided that they would risk their lives for their cause, that they wanted to be freed from the grasp of a tyrannical leader. The true basis of America is that idea--freedom from oppression. Anyone else see the irony in that? Anyone at all?
It does break my heart that the leaders of one of the world's most powerful nations (not necessarily well-liked at this point, but let's not be nit-picky...) would try to continue this tradition of ignorance and intolerance. We should be working towards understanding, educating each other, so that someday there will be tolerance and eventually, ideally, acceptance. Perhaps I'm a bit of an idealist in that idea, but what's the alternative? More Matthew Shepherds? Innocent people murdered for who they are? That might be a bit of an extreme, but it's a frightening thought--to me, at least.
Because maybe I'm strange, maybe I'm crazy, but I just don't understand why the government and so much of the population seeks to oppress and punish their fellow human beings for doing something that many of these people apparently haven't learned to do yet--they're harming people for knowing how to love. And that doesn't seem to leave much hope for the rest of us.
Until next time,
Candy-chan
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
(no subject)
Date: 2004-10-21 12:16 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2004-10-21 10:46 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2004-10-24 11:25 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2008-06-18 09:13 pm (UTC)I know this is almost four years after you made this entry, but I just wanted to say that this is the first time I've 'heard' someone sharing this attitude, and I have a lot of friends in my church, I just don't know where they stand on this particular issue.
I've been hoping that (once I catch up to current) I would comment frequently (better than I do about updating my own journal), and we'd be able to a friendship, and knowing that we share this viewpoint is definitely a step in the right direction for that.
Thanks for restoring a little bit of hope in the human race for me.
(no subject)
Date: 2008-06-18 09:24 pm (UTC)I'm not much of a religious person--which is another reason that I get so irritated with the religious folk trying to tell me and my friends how to live our lives. But...doesn't the Bible also say that only God is fit to judge? Ergo, why do people insist on getting so involved in it? If only God is fit to judge, let Him do it.
...I'll hop off my soapbox now, before I really get going ^^;;
It's a pleasure to hear from you. And I like making friends :) I looking forward to talking to you more!