Something Hopeful
August 6, 2019
I think we could all use a spot of hope. There’s no doubt that xenophobia is increasing around the world. It’s a dark picture for sure and the people of Dayton and El Paso are feeling keenly the pain of it this week.
Yet even in this climate—and maybe because of it—there are good people making the world safer by reaching out in love and acceptance. Two recent experiences showed me this.
The first experience happened at church. Due to recent boundary changes affecting the LDS (Mormon) congregation with which I meet, I ended up in a new congregation with few people I know. This meant coming out all over again. Last January, when I came out to my former congregation, the news media did most of the work for me. This time I was on my own.
Two weeks ago, the Sunday school topic was on acceptance of those different from us. There’s a divine set up! So I brought the reality of “those different from us” into the room and told the class members that I’m gay and no longer a member of the Church. I also told them the reason I continue to attend is because of my love for, and faith in, the restored gospel of Jesus Christ.
When I came out to my former congregation I wasn’t surprised by the support of people there who’d known me for almost 10 years. Their response was powerful, sweet, and reassuring, but not surprising. But the people in my new Sunday school class didn’t know me at all. Yet they responded in a similarly welcoming way.
The second experience happened last week at physical therapy. I’ve been working with a couple of therapists at Hand and Orthopedic PT since last year. When I came out, I told one of my therapists but not the other. There was no particular reason why I didn’t tell him, other than that I didn’t spend as much time with him in therapy.
So last week, when we were done with therapy, he paused for a moment and then told me he knew about my coming out; the other therapist had shown him a magazine with me on the cover. This therapist is a devout LDS man who has served as a bishop in the Church. He then told me the reason he was bringing it up was because he wanted me to know that he supported me. Wow!
He didn’t have to say anything about it. But he went out of his way, faced the awkwardness, and made my world a little safer.
I’ll admit that society today reminds me of the shadow of Mordor spreading across Middle-Earth in Lord of the Rings. But the actions of these few good people toward me remind me that there are a lot of Frodos and Gandalfs out there.