This past weekend, I was in a small town in northern Michigan. The residents of this town are primarily gracefully aging conservative Christians, but driving through town - I saw so many businesses flying rainbow flags. This made my heart so happy and so sad at the same time.
This country has come such a long way on the road to equality, but anyone who thinks we live in a society where all are treated equally... is walking around with rose colored glasses. I live in a world where I make less in my position than a man does in the same position, in a world where two men are looked down upon for simply holding hands in public, in a world where the color of one's skin still has meaning beyond the amount of melanin in their system, and in a world where there are people living in constant fear simply because of who they are. I don't like this world. Growing up, I was taught to love equally and love hard. When I was young, I remember being confused by mistreatment. Don't get me wrong - I definitely had the classic kid syndrome of staring a little too long at someone who looked different from me. But I can honestly say - it was because I was curious! I wanted to learn. I wanted to soak in the world around me - why is that stranger in a wheelchair? What in life has brought them to that place? How can I help? Can they pop a wheel in that thing? Why does that person have darker skin than me? Where are they from? Can I tell them I think their skin is beautiful? Fortunately, I was raised by people who taught me that it is okay to be different and that it is better to ask questions about something you do not understand than to judge the differences around you. I am not perfect - I make mistakes, but I would rather make mistakes on my journey to a better world than to sit back on my heels complacent. This is why seeing rainbow flags flying made me equally happy and sad. I have always been an ally in the LGBTQ world. I grew up around gay people and I have many friends who identify as LGBTQ (not to mention the whole gay ex-husband thing). I believe that being gay is not a sin, it is not wrong, and most importantly, it is not a choice. Therefore, seeing safe places identified with rainbow flags is so incredibly heart warming - everyone should have a place where they feel safe. The sadness is that we need flags in the first place. I want to live in a world where flags are not necessary to identify allies. I want to live in a world where every storefront, church, hospital, and the like... are warm, welcoming, and safe places. Is this a fantasy world I'm describing? Sure is! But I will continue to speak up against injustice, ask questions, and make mistakes in order for our society to inch ever closer to equality.
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December 2017
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