If all else fails, bring in “the gays” to help!

Here we are approaching another presidential election and once again there is a Conservative who has to use “the gays” for her strategy to try to get elected. Her name is Michele Bachmann. I’m sure you’ve heard about her. Recently, she gave a speech that spoke about how black slaves in the 1800’s had healthier family units than they do today.Considering her background she clearly has knowledge in living as a black slave in the 1800’s and living as a black person today.

Listen, I have to tell you. I have no problem with her personally. She looks nice and seems intelligent. It’s just her lifestyle that is an issue for me. It goes against every belief I have. Would you believe in her marriage she thinks her husband is the Master? Now let me explain what that means to those of you who don’t understand. As Master he is given all of the power to make all of the family decisions. The wife’s role is to obey the husband. The wife can voice her opinion but the husband is the all knowing and strong one so only he is able to make good family decisions. Only he knows what’s best for his family. The wife is to simply trust in her husband and tend to less stressful activities like making dinner for the family.

I feel so badly for Mrs. Bachmann who can’t see how enslaved she is. There are many great women’s facilities who could help her and give her the support she needs to see she has self worth. Doesn’t she know she has value? She can make decisions and choices for herself without the control of her husband. But, her lifestyle forces her to be subservient to her husband and this very reason is why I feel it is so damaging to the institution of marriage. Once other men see this way of life they are going to want it and then force their wives to live in that manner. And if not force them, those men will brain wash their wives into thinking that is what God wants. Then they will teach their sons and daughters the hierarchy of the family and the cycle will never stop. Worst of all the children will see it as an acceptable way of life which worries me even more. It’s just so damaging to our children’s welfare.

Mrs. Bachmann has to know her lifestyle is not accepted by the majority. She may think she knows what’s best for her and her family but the life she’s choosing clearly exemplifies her lack of understanding and her need for help. As we all know the majority always knows what’s best for everyone. I promise I won’t mention how the majority has been wrong through out history. You know like when the majority saw Native Americans as savages so that gave permission to kill them. Then I won’t mention how the majority kept blacks enslaved until the Federal government realized it was unconstitutional and intervened. How about how the majority supported the round up of the Japanese Americans putting them into camps during WWII? And I can’t forget how several Southern states still had interracial marriage as being illegal as late as the 1990’s until the Federal government eradicated the law. But, those are just a few silly things that really don’t prove how the majority can be wrong. The majority in this case understands Mrs. Bachmann’s lifestyle is really and truly harmful to our society and must be stopped. They are different than majorities of year’s past and know this time they have it right.

OK, so now I want to get serious here. I wanted to show in the above that any one person’s view can be skewed according to one’s own’s beliefs. I strongly believe there is nothing wrong with it because that’s what we all do. However, when a person’s views are justified by their belief’s to attempt to prove why one group of people should not exist and then use their views to change the laws to be against that one group is incredibly dangerous. We have seen through out history how pointing a finger at one group can be damaging. And yet we continue to repeat history. All we are doing is putting a new face to our targeted group.

I challenge you to go back in history and look at any group of people who were considered not of the norm or the majority. You will notice there is a common thread that follows each of them. There seems to be a mentality to the majority group where they feel superior and entitled. And because they are larger in numbers they have the ability to “overthrow” the minority. I find it fascinating that I have not found one minority group in history who deserved their “punishment” simply because they were different than the majority. And yet, we find ourselves continuously apologizing for oppressing another group when time passes and somehow we understand our wrong doings. And yet the damage was done and lives were destroyed. So why is it we continue to do it?

Now, I go back to Mrs. Bachmann who professes to know what is best for our society which she justifies from her own Christian beliefs. I want to reiterate that I have no issue with her opinion. Where I have issues is when she wants to use her opinion to make laws that prohibit me from the same rights as the majority. Yes, I am one of those “homosexuals” Mrs. Bachmann discusses in her speeches as she puts me under a microscope to question my value in society. How dare she or the majority decide my value? Her mentality is so dangerous and has lead to the destruction of many lives in our history such as the Native Americans, the blacks and the Japanese who were targeted not so long ago. And now it is my people’s turn.

Mrs. Bachmann seems to think it’s relevant that I “choose” my lifestyle and she uses that as one reason for why it’s wrong. I just don’t understand the relevantcy. Whether it is my choice or not that I choose to be lesbian doesn’t make sense how that should decide my rights in society. I don’t understand how that justifies anything. Was that the reason blacks were given “equal” rights finally because it was “proven” they were born that way? Is that how the majority was convinced to give them their freedom? I can just see that conversation between two upper class white citizens. “Well, Sam, the blacks are born that way, so they can’t help how they are. And since they can’t help it, then they deserve their freedom.” Again, the logic doesn’t make sense to me. Why should someone’s rights and freedoms be determined or justified by “if they were born that way?”

As absurd, ignorant and homophobic Mrs. Bachman is, I want to take a moment to point my finger at the gay community which I belong. We have to also take responsibility for how we are combatting the hatred. First and foremost I really am disheartened by our lack of cohesiveness. Where are the strong leaders like they had during the black civil rights movement to lead and guide? We seem to all be working for our own individual purposes which has made the gay fight for equality a somewhat discombobulated and unfocused one. Where are all of those gays and lesbians who attend their city gay prides? Can you imagine having those large number of people protesting on the doorsteps of city lawmakers when an anti gay comment is made like that of Mrs. Bechmann? How about those crowds showing up on the streets now to protest against not having equality which is our American right? It’s not reinventing the wheel. Protests work and have through out history. We must become the squeaky wheel if we want change. When you look at old tapes of Martin Luther King Jr. when he was giving his “I have a dream” speech. The number of people who attended sent a message to our president and our government. In those numbers (which as large as it was was not the majority) was strength and the ability to change the wrong that was happening. I’m sure it was frightening to many who attended. I’m sure many had lost their job because they stood up for equality. It wasn’t easy at all. However, those civil rights leaders and their supporters had enough of the oppression. They chose to stand up to the injustices as a person with self worth. Unfortunately, I don’t see the same drive and fight in the gay community. And unfortunately having a gay pride event does not count towards making change happen. It’s great to be proud and to celebrate but after all of these years I don’t see where they alone have helped make equality happen.

It saddens me tremendously when I see strong gay and lesbians in my community who have the political power and or money to stand up for our cause but refuse because of selfish reasons. Don’t get me wrong, I do feel those gays and lesbians who are in a position to help make change happen do get angry at the injustices but they choose to do it in the privacy of their own home. But that does nothing for the cause and certainly doesn’t help change anything. Then, there are the gay organizations. Each one claiming to fight for our equality but never do we hear how. Not long ago I challenged the popular Equality organization. I asked them how they were directly helping me in my town. One of their representatives told me with the help of contributions they are in Washington fighting for my rights. I challenged the Equality representative by asking him about where were the grassroots programs in cities like mine to work in tangent with those in Washington? I told him even the civil rights movement saw the importance of having a wide spread grassroots program because change can’t just happen from the top. The Equality representative couldn’t respond and he felt I was to just trust the organization’s efforts because it was better than nothing.

Part of my point here is I find over and over again gay organizations fighting from one direction. They seem to fight from a direction that is incredibly difficult to break through. It’s hard to move a brick wall or to chisel through it. It also takes lots of time. I do think it’s important to have someone at that brick wall but we need others to look to the left and right of the wall where there are openings already made to walk through. This was how changes were made historically. If you look at how president Obama got elected that’s exactly what he did. He sent out trained teams to many cities all over the US. I know this takes money but I am confident this can be done with who we have in the gay and lesbian community. I strongly believe with large support from the gay community the results would be “law altering”. That would require more gays and lesbians to step up to the plate to help our cause and unfortunately, I don’t see that happening.

Listen, I know what it is like to have had my property destroyed, to lose a job and to be rejected by my religious community for being honest about the bigotry that my family experienced. I have paid a price. But, I don’t see standing up to the injustices for my gay community as a choice. There are too many gay and lesbian children taking their own lives because of the hatred and as part of my community I have a responsibility whether I like it or not. It angers me tremendously to see other gays and lesbians in my community in positions to help on a variety of levels but they flat out refuse. How does one put blinders on and ignore what is happening to their own kind? TO me it’s inexcusable and shameful. As a minority group to begin with, it is crucial we get the gay and lesbian masses to stand up for the community in which they belong. This is our fight for our cause and yet the majority chooses to stand back expecting others to do it. It’s so interesting to see the gays and lesbians who are standing up to the adversities are actually the ones who have more to lose. And yet, they do it without any reservations and often without much help from their own community. I applaud those folks for their hard work and selflessness.

To those gays and lesbians who have chosen to stand back and let others fight your fight, I challenge you to think about your own self worth and that of our community. Then, ask yourself, “If we are not a (gay) community for ourselves then how can we ask others to be there for us? And if we are only for ourselves, then how can we change the homophobia that someone like Mrs. Bechmann spouts?” To be the change we want to see in our world, it will require more gays and lesbians to step forward to create the community that makes change happen. We as a “community” have that power.

 

A son’s confession

My wife and I were sitting on the couch watching our favorite TV show when our seventeen year old son asked if he could talk to us. He was upset about something so we turned the TV off and invited him to sit in the chair next to us. He appeared to have been crying. As parents it broke our hearts to see him upset. My wife took our son’s hand and told him he could tell us anything. I then told our son we loved him very much and we would always be there for him.

Our son told us he loved us and he never wanted to hurt us. We listened intensely as our son said with tearful eyes,” Mom and Momma, I’m straight.”

My wife and I sat there in shock. It was as if someone had hit us with a brick. I was feeling so many emotions at that moment. I felt angry and sad at the same time. My mind was racing with so many thoughts. What does my son mean he’s straight? This has got to be a phase. What does he know about being straight? What would our friends think? What about his future? Did our son even understand what this confession could do to him and our family?

My wife and I began questioning ourselves. Where did we go wrong as two moms? We watched over our son and loved him. Suddenly, my wife and I looked at each other in a horrified way as it dawned on us that maybe our son had been molested. My wife leaned towards our son, took his hand and in a whisper asked our son if he had been abused by anyone to have made him turn this way. We were shocked at our son’s reaction to our caring question. He swore he had not been abused and angrily told us that just because he was straight didn’t mean he had been abused. He only kept repeating he was born that way as if we’d believe him.

My wife just sat there stunned by our son’s confession. She felt a range of emotions as I did. She reflected on his childhood. She started blaming herself for not encouraging our son when he was a little boy to dress up in my frilly skirts and to wear my high heel shoes. My wife being more masculine, she just didn’t think about it. She knew in her gut something was just not right when our son only wanted to watch football instead of figure skating on TV. I wondered if it was because we had allowed him to play with those GI Joe dolls and those miniature soldiers instead of with Barbie dolls like the other boys did. He was our only child and we didn’t think him playing with gender specific toys could change him but clearly we were wrong. It was our fault. We gave him those straight tendencies. What were we thinking? We should have forced him to play and do all of the gay normal things that the other children were doing. Instead, we allowed him to express himself the way he wanted and now look where that got us. It got us a straight son!My thought was interrupted when my wife got angry at our son and she yelled,” What do you mean you are straight? How can that be? You have always dated boys and you never wore a single, straight piece of clothing in your life!” At that moment it dawned on me that our son had been lying to us for many years. I asked our son about his boyfriend who he had supposedly been dating for 2 years. Our son told us they were just friend’s who pretended to be dating. Our son’s “boyfriend” was helping our son pretend to be straight because our son said we’d never understand the truth. Then, our son told us his “boyfriend” was straight too. My wife snapped with anger. She yelled at our son that it was his hanging out with those disgusting type of kids that made him straight. They influenced him. My wife told our son he needs to stop hanging out with those boys and with help he can change. She begged our son to get help.

Our son looked at me and my wife with an intensity I had never seen. He told us he didn’t need help and again he insisted he was born that way. He even had the nerve to twist things we had said in the past to benefit his lifestyle. Our son said we’ve always had a family rule to never lie no matter what it was and he didn’t want to lie to us any longer. He tried to give us a guilt trip by saying he had contemplated committing suicide if he had to continue living his life as a lie.

My wife started to cry. It pained me tremendously to see her so hurt and upset by the things our son was saying and for something he had the power to change. My wife was a wonderful stay at home mom who spent so many years nourishing our son. I couldn’t imagine how betrayed she felt. Maybe things would have been different if I took more time with him and didn’t work so much. I know it’s important for a child to have both parents around and especially the parent who is more feminine to help set a good example of who our son was to become. Don’t get me wrong I loved my wife but there was no way she could has given our son what he needed. Even so, the fact was our son was choosing the straight lifestyle. It was clear he was doing it to hurt and embarrass us. What did my wife and I do to deserve this from our son?

My wife, unable to deal with the situation any longer, yelled, “Holy crap! Our son is a breeder!” She looked at our son and said,” I raised you better!” Before my wife left the room, she made it very clear to our son that she would never accept or support his disgusting lifestyle.

When my wife left the room I looked at our son who was still sitting in his chair. He wouldn’t look at me. He only looked towards the floor and wept. As I looked at him I started reminiscing about his childhood in my mind. He was such a sweet little boy who only wanted to please his two moms. He used to talk about falling in love with the man of his dreams and adopting lots of children. He even drew us a picture of the family he wanted. He was the perfect little boy with all of the normal dreams of every other child. I loved him so much. What happened to make him be this way? How could he hurt us like this? What did we do to deserve this?

With one statement our son broke our family a part and changed our lives forever.

My purpose is to try to show our straight loved ones and friends how selfish and painful our parent’s words can be when our gay and lesbian children come out to them. It is so easy as parents to only talk about our hurt and pain and forget to see our child’s pain. Our children in many ways are being forced to live their lives as a lie so they may preserve a parent’s love and protection. We as parents make a great point to tell our children to never lie and yet in reality we don’t want to hear the truth. Why do we send them mixed messages?

We, as parents, can say the most destructive things to our children when they tell us something that’s not agreeable or different than what we dreamed for them. Are we being selfish? In many ways we are being selfish but now that I’m a parent I can better understand why. I place expectations on my own child and do because I love him so much and want only the best for him. And yet as pointed out to me recently, what I feel is best for my son may not be what he wants or chooses. Ultimately, I as a parent have to let go and let my son live his life as he desires even if it is something I feel strongly oppose. It all came to light when my sister in law said to me, “I am not going to just stop speaking or loving my children because they are doing something I don’t like. That would be dumb.”

I’ve thought long and hard about what she said. I wrote this story long before my sister in law said that to me. After hearing her I thought about my role as a mom. Is it my purpose to raise my son as a carbon copy of me with all of my exact philosophies? Well, as the preverbal Jewish mom, part of me says, “Hell yeah!” But in reality I know that just isn’t realistic. I’ve come to realize how can I write a story to tell parents to put their expectations for their children on the back burner (even when the parent disapproves) when I can’t do the same? In essence my sister in law has chosen the path of “unconditional love”. And by her allowing her children to live according to their own choices and desires means she is allowing (and accepting) them to handle their own consequences whether good or bad as a result. How can that be bad?

I suppose my biggest fear is losing my son to a partner who will take him away from me and his other mom. Love has that power. He’s my only child and my fear of losing him is huge. I suppose this is where my past haunts me. I know my son is only 7 but I too have to learn to slowly let go. I have to trust my son will make good decisions for what is best for him. I have to learn to live by the philosophy I am requesting of other parents. Now, I truly understand how difficult it is. But as I am asking from others, I too must rememberto put my expectations to the side and to allow my son to create his own path into his own journey in life.

By: MaLea Shved Breland