Today, while speaking at my weekly spiritual meeting, expressing the proud fact that I’m preparing to launch my book about being the father of a gay son who I accept and love unconditionally, I was unexpectedly interrupted…
“How the hell can you condone that!” a member of the group shouted with such hostility and anger that a wave of heat engulfed my body, igniting my adrenaline as my past gangster defense mechanisms prepared for a physical attack, recognizing the hatred in the eye’s of the one who spat the question.
Keeping my cool, I calmly responded.
“I love my son unconditionally, and I want him to be happy living his life, what ever way he chooses”.
“That’s why the world is so fucked up!!” he fired back, continuing his tirade “men are holding hands, kissing each other in public, I don’t want to see that shit and my kids shouldn’t have to see it either. It’s sick and it’s every where, on TV these dam reality shows are all promoting homosexuality.”
“Ok, I hear you” I replied ” and your free to have your opinion, it’s your right, but that same freedom applies to others also. There not affecting you so…”
“They are!! I don’t want to see that perverted shit!” he yelled.
“Hold up, there are some people that don’t like those long ass dreads your wearing, claiming there dirty and smell, so since they have an opinion about that should you be forced to cut them off?” I asked.
“That’s not the same thing” he said shaking his head with a slight sucking of his teeth.
“Not exactly” I responded “but the same argument your making because you don’t agree with the way an individual chooses to live their life, sounds similar to arguments made in the 60’s and 70’s when blacks and whites started being more open with there relationships or when a white woman kissed a black man of TV for the first time. That got a lot of people angry and you sound similar to them.”
“Here you go again Eddie, with your extreme analogies, comparing apples to oranges.”
“No, I’m trying to get you to view things from a different perspective and encourage you to have a more open mind, without being so judgmental of what you may not understand.”
“I understand. It’s wrong and I’m done talking about it.” he said looking both directions for someone to agree with him. No one did.
Changing the topic and moving on with our meeting, I thought about how some people would be against a book saying it’s all right to love your homosexual child.
When I see people on the news holding signs reading “God hates fags!”, actually spending their time painting those hurtful words, along with the hostility that was radiating from the one member of our group, it reminded me that although society as a whole has come a long way with acceptance and tolerance for the equal rights and freedom of the LGBT community, there’s still a lot of work to be done in this new coming year of 2016.
I look forward to doing my part.
Happy New year!!
#voiceforthesilentfathers
Eddie K. Wright 