It is odd how often I forget that gay rights are not an
American issue. It is not
something that some radical sector invented in the United States; there are
LGBTQ people all over the world. They
are members of all ethnic groups and religions, and they are all human beings
that seek to be loved and appreciated.
Faith, so often a vehicle of unity and love, brings with it
an obstacle to acceptance for these people. Restrictions, rules for living, and things considered
“undesirable” are a part of many religions, as a way to separate the faithful
from the rest of the sinful world.
Unfortunately for the struggle for gay rights, homosexuality and gender
confusion are interpreted as sins and taboos for a variety of cultures for
which organized religion is an important part of daily life.
And so I, like a few others in our class I imagine, have
grown up under this paradigm, one that seems to conflict with the times as well
as the teachings of unconditional love I have been taught all my life. In the words of Obama (speaking about
gay marriage in 2010) “I struggle with this.”
I keep this in mind when looking over these websites about
organizations and projects that seek to give this community a haven and show it
to a world that seems much like the one I grew up in. Jerusalem is a holy city, and religious thought will always
be prominent there. It is
encouraging to see these brave attempts at equality for anyone who professes to
be anything other than heterosexual.
I was especially impacted by the introductory video for the
documentary “City of Borders.”
There is something especially impactful about seeing a human face
dealing with a certain situation.
It makes the topic less of a policy issue, and more of a real-life
identity. I was moved to see Boody
(yes, I laughed out loud at the name) trying to be true both his sexuality and
his faith. I think more of us in
the United States could embrace this complex identity rather than choosing one
or the other.
Elizabeth,
ReplyDeleteI really can relate to you with this post. It really is easy to blame one group in the United States for their opinions on this subject, but in reality they are not the only one. I agree that coming to grips with this will be very difficult with many people, and I thought your reference to President Obama's quote was very appropriate. It will take people at least willing to listen on the topic and maybe then, there will be progress with this.
I completely agree with what you had to say here. I, too, often forget that LGBT rights are an issue that is present in different cultures, and while I don't think the United States has , it's just as complex in other countries. I also really like what you said about the "City of Borders" introduction video. So often, we look at an issue impersonally. Assigning a human face to the issue allows it to become a real issue and makes become something that we have to grapple with.
ReplyDeleteWhat you said really resonated with me. Personally being taught one thing growing up in a religious household and then living a society where it is prevalent forces you to form an opinion really early on. I think sometimes we try too hard to enforce "god's law" on "society's law".
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree that's it's easy to forget that other countries are going through the same issues of rights as we are here in the US. I did some digging online to find another hot topic in current civil right movements and I guess I shouldn't have been surprised to find that (once again like the US) Israel is also dealing with the issue of abortion. Some women are choosing to get abortions, while most rabbis are completely against it. It seems that it could be easy to say that on top of all the problems that Israelis and Palestinians already have to deal with, they also go through the same issues that we are experiencing here.
ReplyDelete