While, I read this, and I do because I am a member of the LGBT community, I can hear Adam Lambert rehearsing down the hill from my bedroom window for his performance at an outdoor venue here in Bethlehem, Pa. at Musikfest. Funny and cool, huh?
Maybe we pre-select our gay/lesbian etc. sexuality to experience not only societal challenges,or because we were men or women in past lives, how about also to experience bliss and creativity in this particular form. I remember the first time I kissed my friend Jane and she asked me if I would do this again with another woman,and I said yessss. It felt like heaven for me. Part of that was because I loved Jane and part of me knew I wanted to go deeper, that my soul wanted to expand, that my identity was on its way. For me, being with women wasn’t a political choice, it was visceral. I did have many boyfriends when I was a young teen and even after that. I liked even loved them. So, it didn’t come out of not liking the male of the species. Or because I had been sexually abused or had a sexist for a father. I was in a program for women in depression. Many of us had been sexually abused. I was the only woman out of that group of thirty who was “queer”.

Life is myriad and creative.

Hi Elisa! Like I mentioned in my initial email to you, I feel like being born transgendered has helped me evolve – both spiritually and emotionally – and that if I had not been born into this unique experience my life’s travels and opinions would obviously be very different. And for some reason, and I have always felt like this, I believe I would have been a very self-absorbed, somewhat shallow person. And not necessarily a bad person, just someone who would always be out for me and mine, caring not for the struggles of others. Perhaps in a previous life I was like that? Wow I hope not! Anyway, this is just a personal reflection and by no means do I wish to imply being queer automatically makes one an enlightened individual, or conversely not being queer precludes one from enlightenment. Trust me – I know plenty of “needs improvement” gay folk… (Hell, I’m one of them) HA!

It could be a little of both, because I feel like we only take on issues that we can “handle” in our respective lives. Free will still plays a role however; there are people in the world who, depending on your point of view, can be classified as part of a disadvantage group yet still have developed personalities that are very closed minded and intolerant.

It is heartbreaking that such a large proportion of mentally ill individuals live in poverty; it reflects poorly on us as a nation. It repeats generation after generation and victimizes children and adults. Many mentally ill people who should be receiving assistance through more compassionate means are warehoused in prisons because our society has no effective means of dealing with their issues.

Societal structures desperately need to change. I hope there are some young folks out there who have the fortitude to take up the challenge of getting things changed, whether working as journalists doing exposes or working hands-on with individuals and families. If you’re a young person out there reading this blog or an older person wanting a career change, and are trying to decide what you could feel passionate enough to work on for the rest of your life, please consider taking on one of these issues. Over the decades we’ve made progress regarding racial, sexual orientation, and other fear- and hatred-based issues, but clearly not enough.

I’m convinced, too, that irrational fear and hatred toward certain races, the mentally ill, disabled, and the LGBT community is not JUST a matter of how parents raise their children. I knew a woman (now deceased) who was one of 9 siblings. She was terribly racist and anti-gay, and her siblings, who are very loving, wouldn’t dream of hating someone because of who they are. Ironically, it was a compassionate young Pakistani woman who was with her in the nursing home trying to comfort her as she died. She and her 8 siblings all had the same loving, tolerant parents.

There’s an aspect in which tt doesn’t even seem right to me to use the word “tolerant”. Who are any of us to be “tolerant”? We have no right to judge at all or earn kudos for being “tolerant”! We are all imperfect members of the human race. I really believe it all comes down, as Erik says, to love… to what kind of person a soul decides they’re going to be when they’re planning their next incarnation.

I have been around gays for a long time and have several gay friends or people I know. I was originally put off by their ‘activities’ (PDA’s and such) but after a while, I got used to it as it didn’t do any harm. The only ones that really bother me are the really ‘militant’ ones who get in your face, like they have something to prove etc. But that can apply to most any other group too.
Anyways, I don’t have an issue with them. It’s non of my business who people sleep with or what they do in their persona lives, as long as it doesn’t harm anyone else or interfere with others rights etc. Like others, I see the positive side in that you have 2 people that love and care about each other and serve as a positive roll model for lasting strong relationships, which is something that seems to be sorely lacking in much of todays society, where power and control struggles tend to destroy relationships. having come from a family where this kind of dysfunctional element essentially destroyed what should have been a happy household, I have remained single, simply because I don’t see any reason to change my life, and risk damaging anyone else and spreading the unhappiness my father created with his destructive BS. I’m not gay, but being hetero isn’t a flaw, it is simply the way I am, and I accept that, as I also accept others who are gay, so I don’t get all the flap about “gay rights” and marriage etc. to me it’s a non issue, if you have 2 people who wish to spend the rest of their life together as a couple LEGALLY under the umbrella or “marriage” so what?? Those who oppose the though say that “marriage’ is defined as a union between a man and woman….but who wrote that definition?? did GOD??? I don’t think so. Homosexuality has been around for thousands of years, and both the Greek and Roman civilizations practiced it, and it is recorded even further back in time.
I think the main complaint which is rooted in religion (apologies to those who have any religious practices) is that gay relationships don’t produce off spring or children, and with out that continuation into the next generation, there is no continuation of society or beliefs. This also ties into why catholics have such a HUGE aversion to abortion, and are great proponents of large families, to carry on the religious teachings etc. if you look at many underdeveloped countries, you see huge birth rates, and also find that many of them have catholic belief systems. Granted places like India and other middle eastern countries don’t, but the practice is the same, but more for survival reasons, like the US 150 years ago, large families guarentied survival of the family, but the mortality rate was also high.
Also, western societies aren’t the only ones to have negative views and on Gays, but almost every society has it’s laws or rules restricting homosexual activities…which is interesting. It just seems to be most repressive in more modern societies, and where conservative religion is practiced, its even more so. At least some churches are loosening up a bit and allowing gays into the Clergy and allowed to hold services and such. yes this creates a lot of contention amongst members of the congregations and communities, BUT it also forces them to put their money where their mouth is and forces them to actually accept and be “tolerant” of those who are different then the “norm”…what ever that is.

Unfortunately because of societal structures gay rights is an issue for ALL of us. We are ALL hurt (spiritually, legally, financially) when couples and their children are treated differently because of sexual orientation. I’m a 63 year old female hetero lawyer who went to law school to fight for children’s rights. I did a paper in law school arguing that it is in the best interests of children for gay couples to be allowed to marry. Then in the event of illness, incapacitation, death, or divorce of gay partners, children will have the same continuity of relatives who love them as due the children of straight couples. They will have greater financial stability, and most importantly, the most emotional stability. Death, divorce, and illness are hard enough on children without having the additional burden of anti-gay family members coming in and ripping children away from loving partners, grandparents, aunts and uncles who want to support them, nurture them, educate them and love them. My professor said he was surprised at the amount of research there is to support the importance of continuity of loving adults in the lives of children, because human development was not his field, I guess. From a purely practical legal point of view, there are legal structures and hundreds of years of “black letter” and case law in place having settled the rights of heirs and relatives of (supposedly) straight couples. Why forbid basic civil and human rights to gay couples and their children? Why set up an entirely new system with a designation other than “married”, forcing already overburdened judicial systems, jurisdiction after jurisdiction, to deal with issues anew? And this is before we even get to the issue of rights of gay couples who don’t have children; the right to be at a dying partner’s bedside and make decisions for him or her, which is what they wish. The right to a deceased partner’s social security? Sure you can set up a Will and create a lot of expensive legal documents to cover situations IF you have the resources, but when push comes to shove, hospitals often ignore medical directives giving partners rights. It is just a sad fact. And when it comes to the Constitution, well that’s a 20 page paper! A lot of other countries are way ahead of the US on this, and unfortunately, a lot of countries are way behind us too. IF all this were not true, the important thing is the SPIRITUAL aspect of all these issues: it’s the LOVING thing to do. One would think that should be sufficient.

Hey! It’s Gay Pride Day here in the Lehigh Valley. I will amble up to the event soon. Man, aren’t people reading the comments? How many times do you have to explain yerself? Though I loved how Condor elaborated on the historical and creative aspect of being gay. When I commented on the creativity, I didn’t exactly mean the artistic. I meant that life itself was expressing itself in creative forms with the variables of sexuality, gender.

Hope you had a wonderful time yesterday, Danielle. These events are wonderful beacons for youngsters who are gay and feel they must be unacceptable. They help educate society. I know that may not be the main reason for holding them, but boy, they sure do help!

Oh Thanks, Skoshi

Nice reminder, Grace! God doesn’t make mistakes.

When Erik said that often a person has been one gender for many lives and then comes back as the opposite, and these past lives have left such an indelible impression – I almost whooped out loud! I have thought that for YEARS! It’s so edifying to have my own guesses about it verified.

Of course, I realize there are the other issues – people learning to love themselves, as we are all meant to do.

Great stuff! And, as an aside, I am seeing dragonflies EVERYWHERE lately! In the ODDEST places!! I can’t help but call out “Hi Erik!” when I see one. Sounds crazy, as there isn’t much of a reason for Erik to visit ME, but I can’t help myself! haha