Bem-vindo! Welkom! καλωσόρισμα! Marhababik! Bienvenue! ...

I’ve been racking my minds for a “Community” themed post for the past few days. We’ve had an incredible number of visitors since the last “Lesbians Linking Lands.”  I need to write something that offers a proper "Welcome!"  

The other night I was sitting around thinking about Canada.  When I first started the site, I wanted to let a professor who leads a PFLAG group know about this outlet and opportunity for testimony.  I sent her a link and hoped she’d gather all the young ones around and have them write a paper, “Why I Want to Be a Lesbian.”  But, she didn’t.  She was busy corralling one of her 70 cats, 50 dogs, or 2 horses toward supper bowls.

“But maybe other PFLAG chapters would like to have their young ones write a story?” I thought.

So, I wrote to all of the PFLAGs in the entire country.  (I have a lot of down time, sitting in a hotel room. I also wrote to the liberal Republican Senators and all of the Democrats. But, only a few of their (gay) interns popped in).  I’d like to say that they are the base of my dedicated readers but there’s no way to know.  It seems like they made an initial boost, but I can only see a total count for all of USA. I did receive a letter from B.B. who might have joined sometime after I asked readers to share the site with lesbians who might be on active duty and would want a window into the random adventures of a lesbian at home (see, “Support for Our Troops?”).  But before then, I wrote to almost all of the PFLAGs of Canada.  I think ~2 people popped in after that, so I thought I had made a mistake with the Canadian email addresses.  At the time, it didn’t feel right to color all that landmass for only a few peeks. 

The other night, I couldn’t stop thinking that the Canadians still need to join us.  I got on the Canadian PFLAG site and found “other” links. I wrote to about 3x12 organizations and asked them to share the link with their members, so that they will write letters, and then we might create a lesbian canon of sorts. We will see.

So, tonight I’m cleaning out my gmail account because I look there about 3x a week, hoping for letters from guest bloggers.  (Unfortunately, I get a ton of stuff from that lesbian dating site that I set up the night I wrote “The Magical Lesbian Bus has Departed”).  I find one email that pings my mind with ideas about my desired topic, “Community.” 

It’s from a man at the Human Rights Campaign (HRC).  I wrote them with a request, and they wrote me back.  It’s only fair that I read it.  This guy, James Servino, has a great mom.   She launched a campaign to get the attention of the Cardinal of New York because they launched a costly anti-gay marriage campaign, wasting $2M.  (If you want to know more or sign the petition, here it is): https://secure3.convio.net/hrc/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=1529&autologin=true&utm_term=link2&JServSessionIdr004=51h5r5jc42.app304a

In the letter, she says all of the stuff that our family and/or friends say when we’re singing kumbaya at a gathering, “God made us all and loves us all the same.”  Adding to it, she states her outrage that the Church has spent too much valuable money on [sinful] waste.  “Think of the hungry fed, the sick comforted, the homeless sheltered,” she admonishes.  

What she says here is something like what I’ve said a few times myself, “What if all of the energy that Christians spent on hate was used to love.  Isn’t that what the Gospel is all about?”  (After that, I go into happy land and have a grand sense of peace that I "get it.”)  James’ admirable mom ends with a prophecy, “…it makes no sense to deny them the right to be married under the law. And your parishioners aren’t going to stand for it much longer.”  Her inductive reasoning is pointed and probable.

This change that she calls for will manifest with the evolution of a collective human consciousness or when aliens come and probe us in sensitive places.  (We’ll all band together because skin color and language barriers will seem like minute differences in comparison to green bobble-head invaders and telepathic war communications that don’t permeate our feeble minds.  GLBT affinities won’t make a difference. There will be no time for nonsense like sex because we’ll all be holding light sabers and channeling The Force.)  Let’s just hope that the former happens first.  

In the meantime, parishioners—from all denominations—will have to make the difference because they represent the majority.  They will have to decide that they understand the letter and spirit of the Gospel; they will need to understand that there’s enough freedom to go around for everyone; and, they will have to appreciate the rights that are delineated in the Constitution.  All of these reinforce The Golden Rule—in all countries and religions. 

I believe the benevolent entities that watch over this earth understand that a community that stands together evolves together. They are waiting for us to gather and support truth.  Now, the faraway lands seem much closer as a result of our communications.  It is definitely more colorful with our globetrotters and friends with friends in so many places.   

  

Here's to all of you who seem so far away but share similar ways.  Here's to the girls in Spain, Portugal, Netherlands, Brazil, New Zealand, Greece, Morocco, Tunisia, and Canada, “Bienvenido! Bem-vindo! Welkom! Bem-vindo! Welcome, καλωσόρισμα! Marhababik! Marhaban! Bienvenue!”