I am proud of myself, I have refrained all week from speaking up during the controversy surrounding the battle for the rights for same sex marriage. I held my tongue because I was afraid of the judgement I would receive from the people I have who follow me that are "faithful"; my "Christian" friends who seem to feel so strongly that this whole thing is unconstitutional. I wanted so badly to post my opinion, my very passionate position on this but was unsure how to get all that I had to say across in just one post or Facebok status update. I refrained all week, but that changed just a few hours ago after watching a video that was posted by one of my straight friends. It was so compelling and literally hit on EVERY single point I feel myself, so I decided to break out of my public silence on this and just let it go.
I am in the beauty industry, and have been for the past 22 years. Because of that, I have been BLESSED, yes, I said BLESSED being surrounded by many people who are either are gay or lesbian. They have inspired me with their strength to fight, they have made me laugh with their wit and ability to find humor in almost anything, and they have made me cry with their stories of ridicule and torment by society. The greatest thing that most of them have taught me though is that TRUE love really does exist, the kind of love that two people share that nobody can tear apart. The kind of love that forms a TRUE partnership that is valued, cherished and rarely taken for granted, the kind of love that many of us DREAM of finding one day. I have seen some of them raise children that they had while in a heterosexual marriage TRYING to be what society calls "normal" but in the end they knew it wasn't who they really were... these children are amazing assets to society because of their ability to accept people for who they are, they had GOOD parents who taught them this value. I have seen some adopt children that they cherish and love SO unconditionally simply because they could not have them "traditionally" as we can and those children are assets to society as well because they too accept people for who they are because their parents taught them that. Meanwhile, heterosexual couples I know go into marriage with the thought of getting a divorce if it doesn't work. They moan and groan and whine about their kids and whisk them away to camps, sit them in front of the television to occupy them and act as if they are an inconvenience at times... what kind of role model is that? What are WE teaching them?
I have seen comments flying around about how gross and disgusting Gay people are, I have seen them being called perverted menaces to society that are trying to overtake our country and make it a "gay thing". REALLY? Perverted? I know more heterosexual marriages with perversion and pornography than any gay relationship I know. And nothing is more DISGUSTING than hate and bullying and watching your gay friend lose his partner of 22 years and not even be able to plan his partners funeral or live in the home they built together or collect his life insurance policy after his death because they were not "married". The irony in all of this is that many of these horrible hateful things are being said are being said by my "faithful" , "Godly" friends.
Those of you who follow me or know me personally know that I too am a faithful person. I do everything I can to live a faithful life every day. I have my faults and I make mistakes but I am a Christian and God knows where my heart is in all things... including this. Part of being God-like or Christian is loving and respecting every one, God's love has no boundaries, and neither should ours. True love knows no race, religion, social status, or sexual preferences. I don't care if you are in jail, just out of jail, homeless, rich, socially awkward, disabled, gay, lesbian, straight or unsure; a good person is a good person and none of those things MAKES a person bad or good, nor does it exclude them from what is fair. Being a Christian also means that I should stand up for what I believe in with conviction... so here it is!
My friends who are in LOVE with someone of the same sex have taught me more about true love and loyalty and how much you should value that more than ANY heterosexual couple I have known under the age of 70. They are much more dedicated and devoted and take their relationships much more seriously than any of the heterosexual couples I know. They share everything, they do not deceive each other and they stand by each other like nothing I have EVER seen. They have been some of the BEST friends that I have EVER had and can ALWAYS count on them to be here if I need them. They have brought SO MUCH joy to my life and I am thankful for their presence. I join them in this fight for the rights that I have been given because I am "normal" or "straight" and the right that has been given to greedy disgusting people who marry for sex, lust and financial gain. My friends DESERVE the right to care, plan, and provide for the ones they love just as much as me and you. Who AM I and WHO ARE YOU to place judgement on them saying they are not worthy of this right... it's absurd. This is not a God thing ... it's about taking care of the ones you love. What if this was your son or daughter? Would you feel the same? What if this was your mother or father, what then?
Love is never unnatural, it is the most natural and beautiful expression on the planet... I don't care what gender you are and who you are in love with. Equality is equality... who am I to say I am better and more deserving than someone else.
This post is dedicated to all of my amazing, brilliant, loving, caring, miraculous, loyal, driven, inspiring, resilient GAY & LESBIAN friends. I love each and every one of you and am lucky to have been surrounded by you in my life. You have taught me lessons that I may never have learned without you, and for that, I thank you. I know what is meant to happen will happen, I have faith in that. After seeing this video, I simply had to say something. I was ashamed for not saying something sooner because my friends deserve these rights, and I should have spoken up before now, for that... I apologize.
PS... God Hates NO ONE!
I am in the beauty industry, and have been for the past 22 years. Because of that, I have been BLESSED, yes, I said BLESSED being surrounded by many people who are either are gay or lesbian. They have inspired me with their strength to fight, they have made me laugh with their wit and ability to find humor in almost anything, and they have made me cry with their stories of ridicule and torment by society. The greatest thing that most of them have taught me though is that TRUE love really does exist, the kind of love that two people share that nobody can tear apart. The kind of love that forms a TRUE partnership that is valued, cherished and rarely taken for granted, the kind of love that many of us DREAM of finding one day. I have seen some of them raise children that they had while in a heterosexual marriage TRYING to be what society calls "normal" but in the end they knew it wasn't who they really were... these children are amazing assets to society because of their ability to accept people for who they are, they had GOOD parents who taught them this value. I have seen some adopt children that they cherish and love SO unconditionally simply because they could not have them "traditionally" as we can and those children are assets to society as well because they too accept people for who they are because their parents taught them that. Meanwhile, heterosexual couples I know go into marriage with the thought of getting a divorce if it doesn't work. They moan and groan and whine about their kids and whisk them away to camps, sit them in front of the television to occupy them and act as if they are an inconvenience at times... what kind of role model is that? What are WE teaching them?
I have seen comments flying around about how gross and disgusting Gay people are, I have seen them being called perverted menaces to society that are trying to overtake our country and make it a "gay thing". REALLY? Perverted? I know more heterosexual marriages with perversion and pornography than any gay relationship I know. And nothing is more DISGUSTING than hate and bullying and watching your gay friend lose his partner of 22 years and not even be able to plan his partners funeral or live in the home they built together or collect his life insurance policy after his death because they were not "married". The irony in all of this is that many of these horrible hateful things are being said are being said by my "faithful" , "Godly" friends.
Those of you who follow me or know me personally know that I too am a faithful person. I do everything I can to live a faithful life every day. I have my faults and I make mistakes but I am a Christian and God knows where my heart is in all things... including this. Part of being God-like or Christian is loving and respecting every one, God's love has no boundaries, and neither should ours. True love knows no race, religion, social status, or sexual preferences. I don't care if you are in jail, just out of jail, homeless, rich, socially awkward, disabled, gay, lesbian, straight or unsure; a good person is a good person and none of those things MAKES a person bad or good, nor does it exclude them from what is fair. Being a Christian also means that I should stand up for what I believe in with conviction... so here it is!
My friends who are in LOVE with someone of the same sex have taught me more about true love and loyalty and how much you should value that more than ANY heterosexual couple I have known under the age of 70. They are much more dedicated and devoted and take their relationships much more seriously than any of the heterosexual couples I know. They share everything, they do not deceive each other and they stand by each other like nothing I have EVER seen. They have been some of the BEST friends that I have EVER had and can ALWAYS count on them to be here if I need them. They have brought SO MUCH joy to my life and I am thankful for their presence. I join them in this fight for the rights that I have been given because I am "normal" or "straight" and the right that has been given to greedy disgusting people who marry for sex, lust and financial gain. My friends DESERVE the right to care, plan, and provide for the ones they love just as much as me and you. Who AM I and WHO ARE YOU to place judgement on them saying they are not worthy of this right... it's absurd. This is not a God thing ... it's about taking care of the ones you love. What if this was your son or daughter? Would you feel the same? What if this was your mother or father, what then?
Love is never unnatural, it is the most natural and beautiful expression on the planet... I don't care what gender you are and who you are in love with. Equality is equality... who am I to say I am better and more deserving than someone else.
This post is dedicated to all of my amazing, brilliant, loving, caring, miraculous, loyal, driven, inspiring, resilient GAY & LESBIAN friends. I love each and every one of you and am lucky to have been surrounded by you in my life. You have taught me lessons that I may never have learned without you, and for that, I thank you. I know what is meant to happen will happen, I have faith in that. After seeing this video, I simply had to say something. I was ashamed for not saying something sooner because my friends deserve these rights, and I should have spoken up before now, for that... I apologize.
PS... God Hates NO ONE!
Here is the video that inspired this post
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XOXO
Shells~
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