Being Black, Catholic, & Same-Sex Attracted
Basically, I am target practice for anyone and everyone with any sort of opinion.
I've got people coming at me from all sides! I see some conservatives attacking my race, I've got liberals attacking my faith, and some militants on both sides scratching their heads or mocking my views on homosexuality. It's a perfect storm! I'm like a bright, shiny unicorn standing on an elevated platform with hunters with guns drawn standing all around me.
But that's life.
But you've got to have a positive outlook on life, right? You can absolutely look at it in that way that I described above, but I honestly believe that being all that I am, having the experiences under my belt that I do, it gives me an advantage.
So look at it this way: yes, I am that unicorn surrounded by hunters. I have all of their attention, right?
What do you think would happen if I start speaking out, and saying some really intelligent stuff? They're probably going to hear me, right?
(This might be a terrible example, but trust me, I'm going places with this.)
One of the things that I've heard fairly often from the fans of this blog is that I can communicate my thoughts very well, and that there's compassion and love in my tone. The whole reason that I keep this blog is so that people who read it can come to understand my life a bit more.
So much of the hate and the bias in the world comes from a lack of understanding for our fellow humans. We fear what we don't know, or what we don't understand. I feel like I can come into a position where I could share my life and my story with people in a way that will allow them to understand me, what I believe, and what I love.
If more people tried to understand why Colin Kaepernick took a knee during the National Anthem, I think that more would be done to correct the issue at hand.
If more people tried to understand why the Catholic Church is against things like "same-sex marriage," abortion, contraception, all those hot button issues among others, there would be far less hatred for the Church and her members.
If more people tried to understand why I choose to live a chaste life with SSA, I think that I would be met with more curiosity and maybe even admiration instead of some of the hate and backlash that I've seen.
I have a lot of white friends. Those friends will probably never know what it's like to worry about being in the wrong place at the wrong time simply because of the color of my skin, or being afraid for the lives of my black male relatives who could be shot just because they "look intimidating," or "look dangerous.
They will never now what that's like! But, I wouldn't mind talking about it with them so that they could have a better understanding.
I have non-Catholic (and non-practicing Catholic) friends. They don't understand why I hold the beliefs that I do, why I act the way that I act, or do the things that I do in relation to my faith.
But, I wouldn't mind sitting down with them and letting them pick my brain about it.
I have friends who advocate for LGBTQ rights and the gay lifestyle. It blows their minds that I don't act on my desires, or that I don't believe in "same-sex marriage" or same-sex partnerships.
But, I wouldn't mind them talking with me, asking me why, and then hearing their side of the story.
None of us will ever be powerful enough, or important enough to consider ourselves better than anyone else. NEVER. We have to start being humble enough to come to understand people the best way that we can.
The judgement that we use against other people is the same judgement that Christ will use against us when the time comes. We've got to start making some changes within ourselves if we really want the world to change.
This is me. This is my face, this is my smile, and this blog is all about my life.
Instead of passing judgement on me, come into my life, come into my circle, and let's try to understand each other.
Let's love on each other, guys and gals.
It'll make everything a heck of a lot easier.