Wanderlust

“In Nepal, 150 people have been killed and 90,000 homes have been destroyed in what the UN has called the worst flooding incident in the country in a decade.

According to the Red Cross, at least 7.1 million people have been affected in Bangladesh - more than the population of Scotland - and around 1.4 million people have been affected in Nepal.

International aid agencies said thousands of villages have been cut off by flooding with people being deprived of food and clean water for days.”

When we refer to people like you as “Homophobic” I want to be clear what we’re saying here.  This is not a judgment of your intent.  We are not describing you as a hateful person, as an aggressive or violent person.  But we are saying that your actions and your attitudes participate in and reinforce a system of rhetoric that encourages violence against LGBT people, and, far, far more importantly, that forces millions of LGBT people to live in shame.

That’s really what this comes down to.  Not hate.  Not violence.  Shame.

Consider the point purely theologically.  Jesus tells us that to desire a sinful thing is as bad as to act on that desire.  My lusting after another mans wife is as bad as actually sleeping with her.  My genuine desire to hurt someone is as bad as actually hurting them.

So when you tell me that loving another man is a sin, you’re not just talking about physical acts of intimacy.  You don’t get to draw the line there.  You don’t get to pretend that I can be bisexual so long as I never actually physically act on it (which is already a terrible burden to place on someone).  You’re saying that every time I look at a guy and imagine how soft his lips would be, or think about how beautiful his eyes are, I am sinning.  I am a sinner every time a dude walks past me with a tight sweater on that shows of his arms.  Every time he has nice hair or a nice smile.

My love, according to you, is a sin.  That is the burden you are forcing people to live under.  That burden forced me so deep into the closet that I didn’t even know I was there.  It forced me to repress every genuine feeling of sexual attraction for other men, and to live for years with those feelings straining to get out, whilst I struggled with the constant guilt and shame that came from having those thoughts.

And I am one of the lucky ones, because I’m alive to have this conversation.  Because for many, many LGBT people that guilt and shame manifests as self-harm, substance abuse, low esteem that leads them into abusive relationships, and very often suicide.

UO student confronts 3 people wearing blackface on campus

Gilpin [university of Oregon sophomore] said she ran into the three “kids” in front of the Lillis Business Complex on the Eugene campus. Though she had no way to confirm it, Gilpin estimated the individuals appeared to be no older than 16. 

“I just froze,” the Southern California native said later in an interview. “I didn’t believe it.

The incident came a little more than a week after a School of Law professor’s blackface Halloween costume made national headlines.

“It hurts the worst that it seems that it’s becoming a normal thin. Blackface isn’t something that you should see, or experience…people mocking you, no matter what race you are.”

The university responded:

The campus police were increasing patrols Wednesday in response to the situation.

Just 26 years old, Tubbs will also serve as the city’s youngest mayor.

The Stockton native will also go down in history as the city’s first African-American mayor.

Tubbs is one of several people of color in politics to make history in the 2016 election, and he has been on a path to excellence since his coming-of-age in a struggling South Stockton neighborhood. A high-achieving student, he attended Stanford University after receiving a scholarship from the school.

Tubbs’ time at Stanford ― highlighted by internships with Google and the White House ― was interrupted by the 2010 killing of his cousin. But rather than being deterred from continuing his education, the incident inspired a change in Tubbs’ aspirations.

Stemming from a desire to affect change in his hometown, he began campaigning for councilman in Stockton’s 6th district just months prior to his graduation.

After four years of serving as a councilman, Tubbs is preparing to serve the city on a much wider scale, beginning with police reform. After Tuesday’s landslide victory against incumbent opponent Anthony Silva, he’s hoping to lead the city to a fruitful future.

This is the kind of news we like to hear. I love his statement:

“I am running for Mayor of Stockton because I believe deeply in the promise and potential of our city. Born and raised in South Stockton, I could have either been another statistic or worked hard to achieve success. I focused on school and received a scholarship to Stanford. After graduating and completing internships at Google and the White House, I came back to serve our community and help others have an opportunity to succeed”

More power to him. Maybe when he turns 35 he will run for potus. I would choose him. At 26 he is a mayor..

And here’s some more #BlackExcellence from this year’s election! Pictured in the top row from left to right: 

Aramis Ayala, Florida’s first African American State Attorney. 

Michael Tubbs, Stockton, California’s youngest and first African American mayor. 

Mia McLeod, the first woman and African American elected to Senate District 22 and first woman senator from South Carolina’s Richland County.

And in the bottom: Wendy Smallwood Hazelton, the first African American judge in North Carolina’s Pitt County. 

Zena Stephens, the first African American woman to be elected sheriff in Texas. 

Tim Pounds, Douglas County, Georgia’s first Black sheriff.

Thank you for blazing a trail and being an inspiration to present and future Black political leaders. #Love it!