I saw something in the news today that truly took my breath away. If you have been paying attention to U.S. politics over the past few days, youâve most likely seen this woman:
This is Bishop Mariann Budde, and on Monday (Trumpâs inauguration) she led an interfaith prayer for Trump and the incoming administration. During the service she asked him to have mercy for LGBTQ+ Americans and undocumented immigrants. This was badly received by the Trump administration (as expected).
After seeing headlines about this woman, I read something that I wanted to share. In 1998 a man named Matthew Shepard was murdered for being gay. Iâm not going to get into the details of his death on this post, but please be warned it is extremely triggering if you do choose to read more on your own. Matthew Shepardâs death caused a lot of change in the U.S. regarding how LGBTQ hate crimes are handled, and laws that were passed to protect LGBTQ+ people.
Now youâre probably wondering what Matthew Shepard has to do with an Episcopal bishop. For years after Matthew Shepardâs murder, his family had held onto his remains, too scared to lay him to rest in fear of his final resting place being vandalized. In 2018, Budde had his remains interred at the National Cathedral, which is also the place where the interfaith prayer for Trump and his administration took place. The impact of this really had an effect on me. Budde could have led a non confrontational prayer service, and chosen not to mention the harm that will come to the people Trump and his administration are going after. Instead she chose to call out hate and fear in front of some of the most powerful people on the planet, and at a place that has such a large historic meaning to the LGBTQ community.
In the next few years there will be many challenges in protecting free speech, standing up against hate, and protecting those in our communities. But I would like to believe that for every Donald Trump and Elon Musk, there are people like Marianne Budde. There are those of us who canât speak up for themselves, so itâs important for those of us who can to amplify our voices, even if itâs not the âpopularâ thing to do.
âAnd he said you should apologize. Will you apologize?
I am not going to apologize for asking for mercy for others.â - Mariann Buddeâs response in a Time interview
Link to the Matthew Shepard Foundation if you would like to donate
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