I Saw the Light, by Martha Thomases – Brilliant Disguise | @MDWorld

June 19, 2016 Victor El-Khouri 0 Comments

Orlando.  Forty-nine dead, and more wounded.  All because a mentally ill fundamentalist religious fanatic had access to military-grade weapons.

I keep trying to find something good about this situation.  Not to diminish it’s horror (that would be impossible), but because it’s what Mr. Rogers would want me to do.

And, in the hopes this make your world a little bit better, I’m passing on what I’ve found to you, in case you, too, find yourself overcome with rage and sadness.

The lieutenant governor of Utah, Spencer Cox, has renounced his homophobia and apologized for his decades of hatred.  He did it in a way that is charming and self-effacing and speaks to our common humanity.  He does it in a way that acknowledges his responsibility for his actions, but at the same time encourages people who shared his upbringing and former views to join him.

I admire his courage and his honesty, but most of all I admire that he does this because it’s the right thing to do.  He has nothing to gain, which makes him different from so many politicians who want to pivot on LGBTQI issues.  Rob Portman, for example, didn’t consider the rights of queer people until his son came out.

That’s still better than not trying to understand queer people at all.

In the wake of this violent tragedy, one would expect that we would all, as a country, as humans, mourn the loss of life.  So many of those killed were young, just starting their adult lives.  Many Republicans, who just a few weeks ago were categorizing all trans people as bathroom rapists, at least mouthed a few platitudes of sympathy.

This gesture, minimal though it was, is still better than that of so many of many ministers.  Perhaps because they shared fundamentalist religious fanaticism with the gunman, far too many so-called Christians blamed the victims.  Some were clearly nut-jobs with no real clout.  Unfortunately, at least one, Pat Robertson, owns his own television network, hosts his own shows, and received votes as a GOP presidential candidate in 1988.

I haven’t heard any elected officials denounce these ministers, whom I consider to be terrorists.  Instead, the Republicans seem to be more intent on demonizing Muslims than homophobes.  If this wasn’t so sad, it would be ironic, since the more we welcome Muslims into American society, the more mainstream American their religious beliefs become.  To quote Omar Suleiman from this article in the Dallas Morning News:

“One of the things we do, and this is very important, in America we (Muslims) are not united by a set of religious beliefs. We’re united by a guiding principle that everyone has a right to their own set of moral values and their own practice and to be treated in a civil manner and to be treated as friends and allies. … Our Islam in America is the Islam of Muhammad Ali. It’s a humanitarian Islam. It’s an Islam that inspires us to touch people and become great community servants. That’s who we want to represent us.”

It’s very difficult to overcome our own personal prejudices and bigotries.  One of the hardest is the first we have to do, which is recognize our stereotyping and hate as problems, not facts.  I struggle with this every day.  I find it far too easy to slip back into superficial assumptions, instead of considering each person for herself.

Like Spencer Cox, I’ve had to unlearn my prejudices.  It’s a challenge that I will never completely meet, although I will never stop trying.

Media Goddess Martha Thomases had a splendid time at her reunion, where she did not have to hear about the murders in Orlando until the ride back home.