How One Hug Changes Everything
-Kevin Garcia
It Starts with Persistence
When her son, Parker, came out as gay, Sara Cunningham faced the choice between her church and her son. She chose her son and then started a revolution.
Losing connection or having a strained connection with one’s family is a trope that I hate exists among my queer friends. We do the brave work of accepting ourselves in spite of a lifetime of suppression and we’re met with either ambivalence, purposeful ignorance, or outright rejection.
It is so frustrating to be able to accept yourself completely, feel that God loves and approves of you, and then the folks who are supposed to be your source of unconditional love find themselves at odds with you because of a narrow interpretation of six verses in Greek, Hebrew, and Aramaic. And it’s even more tiresome to do the work of educating those closest to us to try and get them to change their minds.
But there’s one group of parents out there who are working to make this world and faith communities safer for their children and for queer folks everywhere.
Picture this: it’s 2015. You’re at a hot and sticky and loud pride festival in Oklahoma City and you spot a shortish blonde woman with a big ole button that says FREE MOM HUGS...
Kevin Garcia (he/they)