Thursday, February 26, 2015

Singing Above the Bellowing of Asses

I am sick to death of noisy Christians who do not in any way speak for me. It seems that the closer we get to equality in North Carolina, the louder they get. As our City Council in Charlotte considers non-discrimination ordinances that protect the rights of gay, lesbian and transgender residents, all the usual players are irritating the hell out of me.

I know they have a right to their opinion. But every hateful statement they make in the media should include a disclaimer: “The opinions expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of other Christians.”

They have decided to make an issue over who pees with whom. What if a man dresses up like a woman and sneaks into a public restroom and preys on little children? Who would want such a thing as that? Of course, the assumption is that transgender folks are pedophiles. This is ridiculous. It’s like saying redheads are rapists. It makes no sense. And yet, once the seeds of fear have been sown in the fertile field of ignorance, no matter how many facts you apply to the soil, those fears spread like crabgrass.

I resent the fact that those who spew such lies call themselves Christians. If that’s what it means to be a Christian, count me out. As someone who tries her best to know Jesus and follow him, I wonder who it is these so-called Christians are following. If it’s Jesus, it’s a Jesus I don’t recognize.

And so, I cannot remain silent. I sing with a choir of clergy voices that steadfastly offers a melodic message of love and acceptance here in the buckle of the Bible Belt. We will not be silenced, despite attempts to disrupt and derail us. The hee-haws from the likes of Mark, Flip and Franklin will not drown us out. We sing in harmony: Jews, Unitarian Universalists, Buddhists, Catholics, Protestants of every flavor. We are people of faith who will not allow our song to be taken from us.

Can you hear us? We sing of love, not fear. Our voices transcend backward thinking bigotry and pull us into the future. I pray that members of our City Council won't be so distracted by the bellowing of asses that they miss the beautiful song of Truth. 

5 comments:

  1. It is such a breath of fresh air to hear the voice of (real) Christianity.

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  2. Answer this. If a man does dress like a woman ( a Transgendered individual) which public RR would you expect him / her to use ?

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  3. Dear Anonymous,
    I don't usually reply to anonymous posts but felt you deserved an answer. I was being wording this the way detractors describe the situation. They don't understand the difference between cross-dressers and trans. They are not the same thing. There is so much more to being a transgender person than clothing alone. It is a very deep connection with a gender that goes beyond anatomy. A transgender woman, who may have the birth certificate of a male, identifies as a woman. So, to me she is a woman. She may use whatever restroom she is most comfortable using and that is her choice. But should she choose to use the women's room, which is what I would expect, she would use the restroom like any other woman. She enters a stall, closes the door, does her business, washes her hands, and leaves. I have shared the restroom like this with many transgender women and am glad to do it. The transgender people I know want nothing more than to be able to live their lives quietly, in safety.

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  4. Thank you for your reply and understanding.
    I have suffered intense ridicule in my life for no other reason than being myself. Why can't we be accepted for who we are? Why can't society embrace earth's wonderful diversity with which we are all blessed?
    I am who I am. I can't help it. I can't change it. I'm just me.

    ReplyDelete

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