Sunday Ponderings

Picture this: You & your significant other are overjoyed to learn you’re expecting a baby. Time goes by, and now it’s time to reveal if you’re having a boy or girl. The ultrasound is performed & its discovered that your baby has a medical condition called hermaphroditism (also known as intersex). Your baby has both male and female reproductive organs & carries both an XX and XY chromosome pairs. When this baby is born, you will have to make a decision on how you will raise the child, as a male or as a female.

Now picture this.You & your significant other are overjoyed to learn you’re expecting a baby. Time goes by and now it’s time to reveal if you’re having a boy or a girl. The ultrasound is performed & it’s discovered you’re having a boy (or girl). Your baby is born healthy and life carries on. Your child grows, and at some point reveals to you that while they may physically possess male (or female) organs, their mind does not match. You will have to make a decision, how will you react?

Now – put aside everything you’ve heard, everything you’ve been taught. Read those two scenarios again and without preconceived notions, ask yourself again. What would you do?

We accept the first scenario because we can physically see the medical condition. We cannot see the second condition because it is part of the make up of someone’s brain and the brain continues to hold vast mysteries on how it works.

A quick education of the mind. A trans-gendered person is NOT the same as a transvestite. A transvestite is simply a male (or female) who enjoys dressing in what society has deemed as female (or male) clothing but has no desire to actually be a woman (or man). A trans-gendered is a person who’s brain does not match the physical genitalia they were born with.

There is no need for laws barring trans-gendered people from using the bathroom that matches their brain instead of their body. If people are afraid that perverts will dress up as a woman or man and enter the bathroom with evil intentions of molesting or peeping at your wife and kids, they are going to do it regardless. Trans-gendered people are not perverts, they are not child molesters or rapists. They aren’t going in the bathroom to peep at you. They are going in to pee! If you’re want to protect your family or yourself, worry about the actual perverts. There are already “Peeping Tom” laws on the books that will apply to those dressing up to commit crimes.

Please, educate not only your mind on this issue, but also your heart.

Aristotle once said “Educating the mind without educating the heart is no education at all.” Put aside your prejudices, the tails you’ve been told, the fear mongering that has been spread. Put aside your fear of the unknown and educate ALL of yourself.

Who I Am Is Beautiful

I’ve sat next to you in school, on the bus and at the game.

I’ve shared a room, a drink and my food.

Would it have mattered if you had known?

 

I’ve shared a restroom, a locker room and a dressing room.

I’ve cared for your children, your parents, your friends.

Would it have mattered if you had known?

 

I’ve helped you move, helped you build, and helped you clean.

I stopped at your accident and cared for you until help arrived.

Would it have mattered if you had known?

 

I’ve been in your slums, your homeless shelters, the 3^rd world countries.

I’ve built you houses & given the clothes off my back because you had nothing.

Would it have mattered if you had known?

 

I’ve been stared at, sworn at and disowned.

I’ve been told I cannot marry, cannot worship with you, and cannot use your services.

All, because you knew.

 

Why are things so different now, now because you know?

You know that I am gay?

Now you know and you think that I have changed?

I have not changed.  I’ve stayed the same.

I’d still hold your bleeding head, still give you the shirt off my back and still help you if you needed it.

You are the ones who have changed; your acceptance is so fickle.

You think my worth is tied to who I love.  You are wrong.  My worth his tied to who I am, and who I am is beautiful.

~ Cori Garrison © 2016

 

 

It’s Just Me – I haven’t Changed

Headlines continue to run, it seems almost weekly, of another state trying to hide behind the guise of religious freedom or the fear mongering to discriminate against the LGBT community.

It seems with the revocation of DOMA last year, right-wing conservatives (and a lot of plain old bigots) have reached a desperation level in their fight to stop equal rights.  Some have chosen to go the route of a “Religious Liberty” or “Religious Freedom” bill to allow public businesses to refuse service to LGBT (I like to refer to them as humans) people service based on religious objection.  (i.e. what we all like to obsess with are wedding cakes & wedding venues but in truth most bills allow ANY business to refuse service if the PERCEIVE you as a member of the LGBT community based on religious beliefs.). Now, in reality, would most businesses refuse service to us?  Probably not.  I can’t see McDonald’s refusing to serve a paying customer regardless. It would be hard to justify how feeding someone violated your sacred religious beliefs.  As far as the cake vendors, etc. my argument is this: Do you also check to make sure the person is not divorced, or that they haven’t been living in sin (that means living together, in the same room, in the same bed ) or that they don’t work on the Sabbath?  I seriously doubt it.  Let’s get right down to the heart of this  matter.  Almost the entire argument for the religious community that homosexuality is a sin is based on vague, out of context verses in the Old Testament of the Bible.

Everyone’s favorite reference to the “sin” of homosexuality is the reference to the story of Lot and his visit to Sodom & Gomorrah and how the men of the city wanted him to send out to two angels (men) who visited him so they could have sex with them.  It is said that the city of Sodom & Gomorrah was wiped off the face of the earth by God because they were so evil.  Yes, they were evil – them asking for the two angels to be sent out so they could have sex with them wasn’t about the sex (heterosexual or homosexual), it was about violence & rape. They were a city well-known for its hatred of strangers.  Let’s not forget that in lieu of sending out the two angels, he offered these men his two virgin daughters so they could have sex with them.  Does that not strike anyone as equally awful?  You offer up your two precious children to men who wish to harm strangers just for the sake of harming them, and you’re okay with that?  When you start to look at the WHOLE picture, including the history of the city & it’s people, you begin to realize just how out of context that reference is.  Oh, and let’s not forget at the end of that story, both of Lot’s daughters got him drunk on wine and slept with him AND got pregnant by him so they could preserve their family line. Yes, we better focus on homosexuality because clearly that is the only thing wrong with this story.

If you really want to focus on using Old Testament verses to justify that homosexuality is a sin (let alone what has become the most focused on sin), what about making sure you aren’t serving pork at your next BBQ (forget that McRib), no more cheeseburgers either (you can’t mix meat and dairy), oh wait, no meat that wasn’t killed using the Kosher practice either so that nixes most of us that eat meat, except the strict Jews.  Let’s not forget the Old Testament also says it’s a sin to commit incest (whoops, I guess the writer of the story of Sodom & Gomorrah didn’t get that memo when he had Lot’s daughters get him drunk and sleep with him).  It’s also a sin to rape an engaged female (oops again Mr. Writer of Sodom & Gomorrah – you had lot offer up his engaged, virginal daughters to be raped by the men of the city).  I found this one particularly humorous, it’s actually considered a sin to try to convert someone to another religion.  (Just ponder that for a minute….let is simmer).  Everyone’s favorite of performing work on the Sabbath (is that a Saturday Sabbath or a Sunday Sabbath)??  We also aren’t supposed to be cutting the hair on the sides of our head (oops, that’s where my hair is the shortest!).

I know, I know.. I’ve heard the argument from Christians (and Catholics also) who say “But we don’t live by the Old Testament, the New Testament eradicated the old law.”  Oh really? Then stop using the Old Testament to justify the “sin” of homosexuality.  It’s not a use it when it suits your needs kind of thing.  Kind of like you can’t pick and choose what current laws you follow.  Sorry officer, I don’t believe in coming to a complete stop. I grew up in the country and we do a thing called a country stop, you understand don’t you?  I’m sure that would go over well.

Let’s step over to the New Testament than and see what it is exactly that you’re following there.  There are only three references that could be interpreted as referring to homosexuality in the New Testament.  The lack of references to it seems to say that it wasn’t high on Jesus’ worry list.  In fact, two of those references are kind of miscellaneous reference like 1 Corinthians 6:9–10 which says that certain types of people “will not inherit the kingdom of God.”  That list begins with people such as with fornicators, idolaters, and adulterers, and it ends with thieves, the greedy, drunkards, revilers, and robbers.  In the middle of that are two Greek words that translated mean “male prostitutes” & “Sodomites”.  Hmm, doesn’t say anything about a committed, monogamous relationship.  Moving along.  1 Timothy 1:8–11 also says the law was not given for good people, but for bad people and the list of bad people included “Sodomites” with no special emphasis, just included in the list.  These miscellaneous lists of “vices” were common not only in the New Testament and other early Christian writings but also in Mesopotamia, Egypt and Jewish writings. Remarkably these lists appear to be very similar which leads one to believe they were just copied from one to the other with no real individualization.  The interpretation of the two Greek words in to “Male Prostitutes” and “Sodomites” is also questionable.

Romans 1:26–27 most certainly DOES reference not only male homosexuality, but also female.  However, when read in context with the surrounding verses, it’s discovered that it is part of a list of unacceptable behaviors supposedly resulting from willful idolatry (that is it was assumed that homosexuality was the “result” of something to begin with).  The list it’s included with is once again, very similar to the ones in 1 Corinthians (or One Corinthians if you’re Donald Trump – watch his speech on You Tube at Liberty University and you’ll get it) & or 1 Timothy.  By this way of thinking, homosexuality is a punishment then, not a sin.  It’s a result of willful idolatry.

I encourage you to read this article https://www.westarinstitute.org/resources/the-fourth-r/what-the-new-testament-says-about-homosexuality/

Also making news are the attempts at banning trans-gendered people from using the bathroom of the sex they identify with.

I’ve heard all the arguments.  Here are my responses.  LGBT people are NOT the rapists and child molesters of the world, that would be you straight people!  Look at the statistics!  They aren’t trying to go in to the women’s restroom to get a sneak peek at your wife or daughter. They aren’t traipsing in to the men’s room to watch you and your adoration of your penis.  Why is it that you can accept a medical condition called hermaphroditism, where a person is born with sexual organs of both male & female, yet you can’t accept that someone could be born with a brain that is female or male and a body that is the opposite?  Now you want them to go to the bathroom that coincides with the gender they were identified as when born.  Have you considered how crazy it will be to have someone in a full beard walk into the women’s restroom with you?  All because they were born female.  Ridiculous.  Get over it.  Being LGBTIQ (and all of the rest of the alphabet) is not about having sex or wanting sex, it’s about being a human being, just like the rest of you.

I am just me.  I am the same person I have always been.  I am still your daughter, your sister, your aunt, your cousin, your niece.  I am me. I am human.

What is a hero? Who are you to determine who a hero should be?

In light of a lot of recent posts trending on my personal Facebook page, I decided to put my thoughts and opinions into words.  I am a writer after all and I tend to communicate better in writing then verbally.

What is a hero?  By definition the word hero means: a person who is admired for great or brave acts or fine qualities; a person who is greatly admired; the chief male character in a story, play, movie, etc.

I’ve seen a lot of posts ranting about the fact that Caitlyn Jenner is being hailed as a hero.  These individuals are upset because they think that by calling her a hero, it somehow lessens the term when it’s applied to say, a World War II veteran or an Iraq War veteran.  To me, both are hero’s, but in different ways.  I think anyone who serves in the Armed Forces, regardless of what job they do, is a hero.  These men and women sacrifice so much to ensure the safety & freedom that we all enjoy, including your freedom of speech and religion.  Soldiers/Sailors who have been injured or killed are certainly examples of a stereotypical hero.

Let’s open our minds and hearts though.  Let me explain by giving you some examples of other people I consider to be a hero and why.

Jackie Joyner-Kersee.  I idolized her as a young girl.  She was an example of perseverance as an athlete with severe asthma.  As an athlete who played multiple sports and who suffered from severe asthma as a child, she inspired me that I could do it too!  Turns out that I was a pretty good athlete, so I’m grateful I didn’t give up.  To me, she is a hero.

Oskar Schindler.  (You know, Schindler’s List)  If you’ve never watched the movie, please do.  While Oskar was certainly not perfect, he was a member of the Nazi party that is credited with saving the lives of 1,200 Jews during WWII by giving large bribes to Nazi party members to allow them to continue to work at his factories.  Yes, he was motivated by profit in the start but he came to truly care about these workers and risked his own life to keep them safe.  He spent his entire fortune by the end of the war protecting them.  He is a hero and a true example of what human compassion can accomplish.

Martin Luther King Jr.  I don’t think I need to explain his impact or significance in the fight for equality.  He risked his life because he believed that everyone is truly created equal.  After all, that is what our country was founded upon isn’t it?  His beliefs and unwavering courage to vocally oppose racism ultimately led to his death.  What he accomplished will continue to inspire generations to fight for what is right and just.  He is a hero.

Do I think that Caitlyn Jenner is a hero?  Yes, I do and here is why.  41% of all transgendered people have attempted suicide, with the highest rate being transgendered youth under the age of 18.  Hate crimes against transgendered people rose 13% in 2014.  These numbers are staggering and scary!  41% have attempted suicide?!  Why?  Because they’ve been bullied, physically/sexually assaulted, cut off from their families, treated as freaks, etc.  Is this the kind of society we’ve become?  Conservatives think same-sex marriage being legalized is the end of moral society but you don’t bat an eye at the fact that people are killing themselves at an astonishing rate because of how WE, as a “moral society”, have treated them?  Caitlyn has the strength and grace to stand up in the face of the entire world to be a beacon of hope and a voice for this community.  If her actions save the life of 1 single person, she is a hero in my book, no different than if she pulled someone from a burning car.

Everyone’s definition of a hero is different.  Differences are what makes this world go ’round.  Differences are beautiful.  Just because you may not agree that Caitlyn is being hailed as a hero by some, doesn’t mean you need to respond ignorantly.  Show compassion, educate yourself and be willing to accept that we are all different from one another but it doesn’t justify hate and intolerance.