All my spoons are in all the right places, if you know what I'm talkin' about...
Catching Elephant is a theme by Andy Taylor
<3
Conservative Christian college vs. LGBTQ group? Everything went exactly as you’d expect
Wheaton College, a conservative Christian college requires it’s students to attend these chapel messages. As a private religious school, they’re entitled to that. But, one of the more recent chapel messages dealt with sex and sexuality. At this meet, a former student of the college who is also gay spoke. And he told the students that while being gay was not a choice of their own, that it was a sign that they are broken, in need of redemption, and that anyone who is gay is to never break celibacy.
This person went on to share that in his 30’s, he is depressed and lonely due to the fact that he has chosen life-long celibacy, and that he constantly aches for a partner. And he is proud of himself, because he thinks his suffering will lead him to Christ.
In response to this message, an LGBTQ-straight alliance group comprised of Wheaton College alumni wrote a letter back to the students currently attending the college. The letter essentially said, “Hey, don’t worry about that garbage. You’re a person deserving of love just like anyone else.”
So the college writes a response to the letter from the LGBTQ community. And here’s the kicker…they state that they recognize that people are people no matter what they’re sexual orientation…But that they take pity on members of the LGBTQ community because they will have to stay celibate for life in order to be with God. The letter reinforces that being gay is a sin and a sign that we are broken.
And everyone is proud of the college! People generally see this as a step in the right direction! Really? You think I need to pat Christians on the back for finally admitting that gays are people who don’t deserve to be beat to death? No, this is 2011. If you still think that being gay is anything but normal, natural and worthy of equality, then you are the one that is broken.
Why can’t we understand that we’re all on the same team? Let me tell you, this is something that really bothers me.
I don’t want to be misinterpreted, I’m not equating sexual orientation to chronic illness because I think being gay/trans/bi/etc is an illness of any kind. What I’m saying is that we’re all facing similar struggles and we need to stick together.
Those of us on here blogging about Chronic Illness often talk about “invisible illness”, and how no one can tell by looking at us that we have anything different going on with us, and how that can be misleading. This misunderstanding leads to confusion, and when people in a general sense feel confused about something different from them, that’s where prejudice and discrimination happens.
If you are Chronically Ill or disabled and you were not outraged by the recent controversy about attempting to redefine rape, you are forgetting that rape survivors are suffering from an invisible illness. You can’t tell by looking at them, but they are holding on to something just as infectious as any disease. Homosexuality in itself may not be anything like a disease, but repressing your sexuality, or holding onto years of teasing and maybe even serious discrimination very much can be.
If you are a woman, and you are speaking out in oppressive ways toward the gay community, you are a walking contradiction. You’re causing someone else to experience the same injustices you were subjected to.
If you are of the LGBT* community and you speak ill of the disabled community. Guess what?
If you are a chronically ill or disabled person and you sling racial slurs around? Bad form.
Person of color who thinks mental illness is a joke?
Some of us are, myself included, members of more than one of those categories. Doesn’t matter. We’re all just people trying our best to live life with the cards we happen to have been dealt. And we have to deal with a lot of discrimination, and a lot of misunderstanding and oppression in the process. Let’s at the very least strive to not let it be from each other.
*I know that’s not the current full appropriate term anymore, but I keep seeing confusion over it. So if anyone wants to tell me what they think is the full/correct one, or what they prefer, let me know.
(Also, I know there are plenty of other groups facing discrimination that I didn’t include in this post or my pictures, but I just picked some of the larger and more prominent issues that came to my mind.)
