Be unapologetically you

As I was sitting in the lounge at the Divinity School last night before the class I’m taking, I started talking to one of the other seminary students in my class. She asked me where I had gotten the shirt that I was wearing. I told her I had bought it for the Pride parade this past weekend but had been unable to make the parade because of some health issues. I told her about taking Clayton to the Pride parade last year and the amazing experience we had marching with the school. She looked at me and she said, your son is so lucky to have you support him. Of course I support him, I told her. Not supporting him because he is gay would be like not supporting him because he has blue eyes instead of brown.

I’ve thought of that conversation a lot today. You see, today is National Coming Out Day. Imagine having a day set aside for the specific purpose of recognizing the difficulty of proclaiming who you are?

But difficult it can be. A friend posted the following statistics earlier: 

·     40% of homeless teens in the United States who came out were thrown out by their parents onto the streets

·     4 in 10 LGBTQ youth (42%) say the community in which they live is not accepting of LGBTQ people

·     LGBTQ youth are 2x more likely as their peers to say they have been physically assaulted, kicked or shoved at school

·     26% of LGBTQ youth say their biggest problems involve not be accepted by their families, bullying at school and fear of coming out

·     LGBTQ youth seriously contemplate suicide at almost three times the rate of heterosexual youth

·     LGBTQ youth are almost five times as likely to have attempted suicide compared to heterosexual youth.

Those statistics break my mama heart. But most importantly, they break my human heart.

Nobody should be afraid to tell the truth of who they are.

Nobody should fear being bullied or assaulted because of the person God made them to be.

Nobody should have to couch surf or sleep on the streets because their parents reject them because they don’t fit the mold of what their parents expect.

Nobody should feel so hopeless because of rejection, or abuse, or hopelessness and helplessness that the only option they see is to attempt to take their own life.

Do I support my gay son the same as I would if he wasn’t gay? Absolutely.

Do I affirm his identity as a perfect child of God who was fearfully and wonderfully made, in the image of God and with a purpose? I most certainly do.

Do I celebrate the relationship that he has with his boyfriend, who is a really great kid who makes him happy? Most definitely.

Will I be his biggest cheerleader in this life as he takes the steps to advocate for himself and for others who may not have the same support that he has at home? With my very last breath.

I pray for a day where it isn’t necessary to have a National Coming Out Day. Where people just accept people as they are, without explanation.

Where no child has to fear being who they are, wherever they are: at home, at school, at church, in society.

Where we let people be who they are, without apology or explanation. As God made them to be.