We're a decade into the new Millenium, fighting the same battles over and over. Tolerating the same subtle barriers that divided communities throughout the last one. Standing by as schisms unravel into vast chasms that cannot be bridged, dividing families and setting terms for relationships.
When they tell us it's more American to restrict certain freedoms, George Orwell weeps. When they tell us it's more Christ-like to interfere with love, the Devil laughs. When we export these contradictions internationally, the gross domestic product is unfettered confusion.
However, here is where I live and so, subscribing to the principle of "Think Global, Act Local," I hitch my wagon to the region in the hope that our shared quest for good flows upward.
One source of our reoccurring problems is that we have not fully embraced those who are different or queer in our lives. I chuckle to myself as I wonder how a city's phrase like "Keep Austin Weird" could actually be a subtle wink or a signal to those who are different that they are indeed welcome. With all due respect to Nicole Infante, maybe instead of a Grandwich for Grand Rapids, we just need fancy moniker on a bumper sticker.
If I know one thing from growing up different so many years, it is that different is not always embraced as good or, in some cases, even welcome. But, if my limited theological understanding of the sacred texts is correct, then we are merely copies on the original form.
Copies are not the original, but often a part of a series. And, as with most handcrafted series, you can find subtle variations on the form.
But these variations are what make us unique and beautiful. Sometimes when two individuals meet, something wonderful happens and they can fall in love.
Mankind has tried to master, define and even mine the source of this love but artists, who often come the closest to revealing this elusive emotion, have - despite efforts too numerous to list - only scratched the mysterious surface with their well-intentioned interpretations.
Maybe we're frustrated with a lack of perfection that distances us from the original? Or maybe our intolerance is a by-product of not loving ourselves?
Sure, this editorial space is where typically we discuss issues impacting our city, but I cannot think of better time than on the eve of the 23rd West Michigan Pride Festival to talk about love.
It is the LGBT+Q members of our community who can best express like a canary in a coal mine how welcoming we are as a community. It is often their love that is dissected and discussed almost constantly in the headlines, on the airwaves, in blogs and even in the halls of justice where elected officials make no qualms about what groups, including this one, to toss in front of the bus for political gain.
Why do so many choose to ignore the basic foundational phrase of our liberty??? "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."
While love was not included by name, it was a deeper love for all of mankind that moved the highly educated and well-traveled Thomas Jefferson to pen those words that later motivated many others to affirm his intention. Generations of Americans have pinned their hopes and dreams on that phrase since the founding of our nation.
As a local community, we have come a long way. The journey may be far from over, but for every negative, there seems to be more positives. Change is underway.
I have watched a community of support rally to make sure that not only the local LGBT+Q feel at home here, but that all people who might otherwise feel different have a place in our region to call home.
While we as a community have not always been perfect (nor will we ever), it is through the sharing of our scars or better yet, our birthmarks, that we begin to see one another more fully as unique creations. In sharing our stories, we begin to see us for who we, as a people, are.
?Once we allow ourselves the space to open up with those around us, we can share our personal stories with each other and, in doing so, begin to discover we are more alike than we are different.
This has been true with my life whenever I have shared my path and listened to other people, whether at work, play or along those the aimless wanderings exploring our city over the last three decades.
And, in keeping with my tradition of a summer play list, I am reminded of the Beatles who succinctly sang in chorus, "Love is all you need."
The future…well, the future is here…and then it is past. What do you really want to do with the present?
The Future Needs All of Us (to embrace differents)
Tommy Allen
Lifestyle Editor
[email protected]Click here to continue to this week's G-Sync events. Photo Note: The Rev. Charles is a member of the wildly popular local band The PotatoeBabies. As a member of this vaudeville influenced rock and roll band, he has harnessed his personality to support many causes in our region from feline rescue units to the West Michigan Pride. While his antics filled show many not be for everyone, his heart is firmly rooted in making our community a more welcoming and loving space for everyone. The PotatoeBabies takes the stage at 9 p.m. at Riverside Park on Saturday night.
"Grand Rapids: Differents Welcome" by Tommy Allen, 2011
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