To All the Real Christians

I have no memory of where I got this picture (I'd give credit if I could), but I named it "christbeatendefendingqueer"--that would be "christ beaten defending queer"--when I saved it.
My mind went directly to this picture when I read this story.

A young trans*woman was attacked by four teens: Tyreek Childs, 17; Trevaugn Payne, 16; Shara Mozie, 17, and a 15-year-old whose name was not released because of his age.
This isn't all that uncommon, unfortunately.
What is uncommon is that the priest who runs the shelter the woman lives in came out, along with other residents, and drove the boys away. And then when the guys came back with their metal pipes and paint cans, Father Braxton tried to reason with them, tried to get them to leave.
He was beaten for his care, of course. So were two of the residents who came to his rescue.
Luckily, Tyreek, Trevaugn, Shara, and the unnamed were picked up by police and are looking at actual charges.

This is what real Christians would do, protect the week and the oppressed.
Don't believe me? Read the fucking gospels.
I am not a Christian, but my parents are and so I went to bible school and read the bible. Back in middle and high school I went through and read a fair amount of it.

When the priests come to Jesus and try to trick him, they ask him what the most important commandment is.
His answer? Love God and love your neighbor as you love me.
Your 'neighbor' is anyone and everyone; no matter their creed or nationality or any other distinction.
Folks like:
Fred Phelps, Exodus International, George W. Bush, The Catholic Church (the organization, not all catholics), and these boys?
Not acting like Christians.

I don't care what your beliefs are.
But when you use your beliefs as an excuse to attack, murder, and rape people...
When you use those beliefs as an excuse to make it near impossible for us to get legal jobs, to find housing, to go to school, to get medical attention...
Then I do care. I care because you right to believe has interfered with others' right to live.
Making it impossible for us to live as ourselves, instead of some script we were slapped on the ass with, is just as bad in my opinion.
Maybe its just me, but I'd rather risk murder and assault because I'm living as myself than live trapped as someone else.

My first boyfriend was a real Christian. At the time, I admit I was very bitter towards Christians and Christianity and he helped me get over it.
He, I'll call him J, believed in Christ's most important commandment. He believed deeply that that commandment was the main way of being Christian and that all that other stuff--going to church to who you fucked--was not nearly as important.
Showing, no being, Christ's love for your fellows is how to be a Christian.
I dated J in the early part of my sophomore year of high school, right before I came out to myself (I'll talk about that in another post). He graduated at the end of that year and we lost touch of each other. So I have no idea what he'd think of me now, or what he'd think of my transition. Or that he's dated another guy. But I think he'd be happy that I'm finally coming into myself; that I'm not hiding and pretending like I used to.

I'm not a Christian, but I like Christ. I like his lessons and I think he was often right (not so much his followers). I hope any Christians reading this, who don't already know Christ's most important commandment, will take heed and follow it.
Or at least, think of it.
Think of His words when you call something gay or retarded instead of irritating. Think on them when you choose to hire a white/cissexual/male/hetero/etc person instead of an equally or more competent POC/trans*/female/queer/etc person. Remember His words when you ignore, or join in, the teasing of a queer/trans*/disabled/POC/etc.
When you come across a situation where someone is being hurt, think on what Christ would do.
Would he join in? Would he ignore it? Or would he put a stop to it? Or, would he help the person afterwards, whether giving a kind word or buying them lunch?
Even if you're not a Christian, think on what is the right action.


PS: Don't read the comments on the NYdaily website. Just don't.

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