Beech Tree News Network

“It’s just a slap in the face.  I mean, myself and several others laid our lives on the line for this country and now we are fighting for our lives because of this country.  Funny how that works.”  This was the text my niece sent me on Wednesday.

This is the same niece who was part of a military convoy in Iraq when her unit was ambushed, and her lieutenant killed.  She spotted an IED that had been placed beneath a small bridge before her unit moved across.  She handed out candy to the Iraqi children, and chased down an adult male who took the candy away from them.  

This same woman adopted a ten-year-old boy, who had been placed in literally dozens of foster homes and always returned.  After watching how well her little brother was being treated by my niece, the boy’s eighteen-year-old sister came to live with her too.  She was welcomed with open arms.  Both children had grown up in a horribly abusive home.  They now have a loving home.

What was it that made my niece say she felt like she had been slapped in the face?  It was an alert she received on her phone from the HRC (Human Rights Campaign) that stated: National State of Emergency for LGBTQ+ Americans…Know Before You Go. 

 You see, my niece is gay.

 You don’t have to like that fact or agree with that lifestyle or even try to understand that lifestyle.  Nobody is going to force you to do that or even expect you to do that.  As citizens of a country built on the precepts of God, however, there is an expectation that others of any creed or color will be treated like human beings.

 There is so much fear swirling around and being directed toward the LGBTQ+ community.  Some are worried about what their children will be taught in school about alternative sexual lifestyles.  Others are worried about transgender children being allowed to choose surgeries to match their gender identities.  There are a lot of issues out there for parents to deal with, but you know what?  I believe parents can teach their children the values they hold sacred, without teaching their children to fear and hate those whose lives and ideals are different from their own.

I have a friend whose little boy came home from a school Halloween party and told his mom that his friend was dressed as Hitler.  The boy dressed as Hitler knew all about the dictator and was an admirer.  Hitler, the man who taught a nation to fear, hate and annihilate 6 million Jews.  Most of us would be appalled and explain to our children why the dictator should not be admired.  I believe we are at that kind of crossroads in our country right now.  We are responsible for the fear and hate we pass on to the next generation.

A close friend said to me, “Why can’t the gay people just keep quiet and go on with their lives?  I wouldn’t have a problem with them then.”  That is the same attitude that was directed at the African American community during the Civil Rights era.  

Let me address that attitude with an incident that happened to my niece in a parking lot, while she was waiting in her car for her sister to come out of a store.  Two large guys got out of their truck and started moving toward her car.  “Hey!” one of them yelled, “Are you a boy or a girl?”  The other guy grinned, as they continued to advance her way.  My niece was able to start her car and whip out of the parking lot, narrowly avoiding the two men.  When she felt like she was safe, she pulled over and waited till she could stop shaking, so she could call her sister to let her know what had happened.

One day, when Garey and I were watching our cats sleep, Garey said, “You know, a deer can never really rest like our cats do.  They have to be on the alert, because there’s always something out there trying to hunt them down.”  

That is the situation my niece is in.  To continue the text she sent me earlier, this is what she said, “This is insane.  I’m going to catch extra grief now because I look the way I do.  Before this (referring to the alert from the HRC) I had already been chased, followed and hatefully scrutinized.  Can’t wait to see what’s next.  “Merica…what can ya do?

This is no longer about what she can do.  This is now about what we can do.  My friend, Wanda, put up a fb post, that states: 

STRAIGHT

BUT I DON’T

HATE.

That’s what we can do, because everybody deserves the right to rest.