Monday, July 25, 2011

good deeds ~ it gets better


some friends of mine made an it gets better video, sharing their personal experiences with coming out as
gay and lesbian, and transitioning to the opposite gender.  this particular video is focused on surviving the hardships of coming out within a religious community, specifically the seventh-day adventist church.
this is the religion i grew up in, although i am no longer a part of it.  like most other religions, there are many church members who are strongly against being gay or lesbian, to the point of extreme rejection, shame, and abuse.  i feel really fortunate, however, to have befriended the most loving, accepting, and supportive seventh-day adventists of the crop, and i'm so happy that my gay, lesbian, and transgendered friends have finally found safe communities where they can embrace their spirituality just as they are.  


sharing painful experiences like these can be terrifying to say the least.  i am blown away by their courage to open themselves up to the world in an effort to provide someone out there on the other end of the interweb with hope. these videos are tremendously powerful, and they've got me thinking - what sorts of hope can i spread to others?

i think it's important to be open about the hardships we've been through in our lives.  after we have come to that point where we are fully healed from it, we are often able to look back and identify ways we learned and grew from the struggle.  but if we are willing to share these hard times with others, think of how many more positive things could come from our difficult experiences!  being open about your past is a tremendously personal way of helping others, so make sure you are in a healthy place to handle it.  but i do hope you will consider sharing your struggles when the time is right with someone who could really benefit from it.
life really does get better, but with that support from someone who understands, the hard times
will get better just a little faster.

11 comments:

  1. And this is why when bad things happen I prefer to share my experiences rather than keeping them inside. I figure if my hardships can help someone else somehow then why wouldn't I share them?

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  2. my best friend is gay and he was my made of honor at my wedding :) he got a kick out of it. lol

    I think it's so important to be open as to what makes you .. you because I think you realize you aren't alone and that you deserve to be around people who appreciate you for you.

    happy monday!

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  3. I agree, totally. Bad experiences, health difficulties, all the nasty little things we're so often expected to keep to ourselves for fear of embarrassment - it's helpful to admit to them and helpful to hear that you're not alone.

    Good for your friends being so open about this.

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  4. How beautiful. It's important to share hard times and good times. We can bond and encourage each other by utilizing both types of experiences. Thanks Kim, this is wonderful.

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  5. I am so happy that videos and projects like these exist. It really warms my heart just thinking about it. Hooray for your friends and their courage - so wonderful.

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  6. A friend of mine once told me that when his church found out that he was gay, he was told to leave and wasn't allowed back until he stopped being gay.

    It's bizarre to me that a church who is supposed to support the word of God and love can have so much hate and do the exact opposite.

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  7. Kim, thank you so much for posting this video. I've never really heard people's experiences about coming out with such a religious upbringing. It's so fascinating and heartbreaking and I really admire these incredible people for speaking out.

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  8. thank you for sharing kim. such an important issue. x

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  9. I totally agree. At the time it can be near impossible to believe that you'll ever be able to talk about it...But sharing always helps someone.

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  10. I love these videos because they are so inspiring. I grew up in a pretty Conservative town but when my cousin came out my mom, was like what's the big deal. And I agree. God loves all people regardless of relationship status or sexual orientation and we are more likely to be on God's bad side for not loving others and being hateful. To use God as a means to oppress is just annoying because that is purely HUMAN!! That anyone can be hated and discriminated against because of who they love is wrong on so many levels. I am about to step on soap box...so I will step off and say thanks for the share. I think there are people in all sorts of struggles that can be inspired by this.

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  11. What a beautiful post this is. Unfortunately I don't have sound on this computer but I'll be sure to return so I can hear/see the clip.

    My best friend is gay and she has had to overcome quite a bit too because of it. I just wish there were more tolerant people in this world.

    XOXO

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