Dear Church Family and Friends,
In the midst of the recent attention given to the suicides of gay teenagers, a writer for The Nation named Richard Kim made some points that I believe are relevant to our mission and vision as a church. On a news program that aired on October 13th, Kim noted that as many as thirteen gay, lesbian, or trans teenagers had taken their own lives since September. He additionally observed that “the scary part is, this may not even be an uptick. This may actually be the norm.” There is simply no reliable method for determining the precise number.
If we pause to consider the recent suicides as part of an ongoing problem, we should also pause to realize that this problem is not only about teenage bullies, it is about a deep and systemic problem in our society as a whole. It is also about a problem for which we adults bear the primary responsibility. We only need to think of the pernicious environment created everyday by politicians, preachers, and pundits who decry gay teachers, gay pride parades, adoptions by gay parents, etc. As Kim observes, there is a common underlying message to gay and lesbian kids that stands behind all this. It’s one that says: please don’t exist.
Part of the antidote to the hostile climate of the present is for the rest of us adults to send a message to LGBT teens that simply says, “We love you as you are.” This message is clearly aligned with our mission as an open and affirming church. I believe another part of the antidote requires moving beyond open and affirming to liberating. It is this part that requires having a vision. For Kim, this vision entails imagining what it would be like to live in a world that loves LGBT teens. In such a world, I would think we would want openly gay and lesbian teachers. We would want a sex education curriculum in our schools that normalizes being gay or lesbian. We would want parents who don’t try to force their children to be a certain gender or to love a certain gender.
As a way of memorializing the recent suicides and as a way of committing ourselves to a brighter future, this Sunday we will be dedicating one of our All Saints candles to LGBT teenagers who have taken their own lives this past year. Please join us for this time of remembrance and reflection.
Your brother in Christ,
Pastor Brooks