The US state of Arkansas (Yee Haw!) has approved marriage equality, joining the rising tide of gay marriage states in the US. Opponents are no doubt perplexed and discombobulated by this rising tide, but the movement for equality seems unstoppable. William Lindsey has a very moving account at his blog On Bilgrimage. The reason why this is news is because Arkansas is in the center of the deep deep South, known for it's ultra conservative Christian views, which are not at all welcoming to gay people Au contraire. So it is all a mystery.
Here are some scenes of joy from NBC news:
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Its comforting to see so many lesbians rejoicing. We can be sure that many an unwanted child will now find new homes with these stalwart women, so many of whom provide families for mentally and emotionally challenged children. The unwanted ones. I know of one rare lesbian family raising seven such children, each with his or her severe developmental needs. Each evening the family gathers around the dining room table, a candle is lit, and each member of the family can say whatever is on their mind, their worries, concerns, complaints, their joys and celebrations. On the few occasions I was privileged to join in on these sessions, it has seemed holy and Spirit blessed. A place of joy.
On another note, the Eurovision Song Contest concluded in Amsterdam two nights ago by making transgendered Austrian Conchita Wurst the top winner, an 'event' for equality and fairness if ever there was one. Conchita was clearly the crowd favorite, even though she has had to endure plenty of homophobic slurs since her first entry into the contest. Many of those enraged by her presence are so disconcerted by her beard. "Amazing how people can get so upset by a little facial hair," commented Conchita. The beard, of course, is what is known as a 'mind-fuck,' pardon my French, designed to overturn our "expected norms of gendered beauty." (Thanks to TJ for that clarification.) A friend of mine sent me this very witty holy card of Conchita, which I hope does not offend the memory of the Sacred Heart. Personally, I think it is all too appropriate. Why do I find this appropriate? Because there has always been something so tenderly feminine about the traditional images of the Sacred Heart, and if ever there were a Catholic 'mind-fuck,' it would be this imaging of a transgendered woman as the Divine Heart of Jesus, fully human and fully divine, incarnate in the body of the most despised of despicable gay people. The transgendered must struggle for acceptance right within the gay community itself, many of whose members fear the Trans give the rest of them a bad name. Time for us to embrace the all inclusive, tender, feminine and motherly love of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
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Take a look at Kittredge Cherry's very informative posting on Conchita at her marvelous blog, Jesus in Love, which specializes in presenting truly wonderful and unique artistic expressions of gay spirituality and love in a Christian context.
3 comments:
Thanks for alerting me to the Sacred Heart icon of Conchita -- and to Conchita herself. I blogged about it today at Jesus in Love with a link back to your blog:
http://www.jesusinlove.blogspot.com/2014/05/sacred-heart-icon-of-bearded-drag-queen.html
Thanks, Kitt. I put a link to your blog at the bottom of my post as well. Blessings.
Jayden, I love your point about how laws that level the playing field protect mothers raising children, many of those being mothers in same-sex relationships. I saw many couples of men and couples of women with children being married on Monday in Little Rock.
These folks come from small towns around the state, where they have no legal protection and face church-fueled discrimination constantly. The discrimination affects the children they are raising.
I am so happy they now have the right to marry, since that affords them a layer of legal protection they and their children did not have before—and which they sorely need to lead full, humane lives in places like Arkansas.
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