HOPE: A Cornerstone of Being Gay

Hope is a cornerstone of being gay. It is the hope to break through the dry, parched soil of conformity and expectations, to be brave enough to push past our own protective exteriors and the layers of society’s stiff mud.

We hope coming out will allow honesty to blossom between ourselves and those we love. We hope our families will continue to love, include, and want to be with us. We hope for full access to the basics of life: food, shelter, community, employment, medical care, belonging, hospitality, and cake. We hope others will poke their colorful selves through the cracks, shake off the dirt, grin and say, “Let’s have a parade!”

Some of us hope to be full members of congregations that talk about God and hope, and then act by spreading hope like jam on toast. “Have you heard? You are loved! Nothing can separate you from that love. You are a child of God. Yes, you, exactly how and who you are.”

Being gay isn’t contagious, but hope is. Imagining a new world and practicing a new way of being in it creates cracks for others. They join hands with friends and strangers alike to say, “Okay, we’re going for it.”

A baby was born and placed in a manger. This child of God grew to be the hope of the world. Our hope is that the darkness in the closet can be overcome by the truth of who we are. Our hope is that while others might abandon us, God will not.

Light the Hope candle and let its light and warmth fill you, child of God.