Al Jazeera has an article this morning on the passage of the marriage equality bill in France. In the video accompanying the story (if you click the link, it will bring yo to the video), what strikes me is the testimony of the two young gay men whose families have rejected them. As they say, the hostility energized against the gay community in France by opponents of the marriage bill is making life much harder now for younger gay folks who had already been struggling with a lack of family acceptance and support.
As I listen to this, I continue to ask myself how the leaders of my church can participate in movements that roil up hatred and violence against a targeted minority, and can show such seeming lack of compassion to younger gay and lesbian folks who are struggling to find a place in the world. Words can hurt. Silence can be lethal.
We should expect better of churches that claim Jesus as their founder.
P.S. In Rhode Island yesterday, the Senate judiciary committee approved a marriage equality bill, which now allows the bill to move forward for a full Senate vote. And in Delaware, a marriage equality bill passed in a House vote, and will now move to the Senate for vote.
