Inclusion on purpose* looks like honesty and feels like shared humanity. I am gay. If this comes as a surprise, here is what to say and, more importantly, what not to say to me.

It is from the comfort of my true self that I share with absolutely anyone that I am gay. This is me. Take it or leave it. I am not interested in being changed, I am not interested in your opinion if you are not ready to celebrate me and family. Not accept. Not tolerate. Celebrate. The verb was chosen on purpose.

Pain. Pause. Rise. Repeat.

The story of Easter, as told in the Christian Bible, speaks to me of deep humanity: we follow people that speak to our souls, just like the apostles in the story followed Jesus, we succomb to the peer pressure and deny our affiliations just like Peter, we blame and want to destroy what we don’t understand, what is different, just like the priests.

1 2 3 4 43