My Rally Talk

I had the privilege of speaking at an API-Equality LA organized rally to protest a group of Chinese churches gathering to show their objection to marriage equality. The speaker list was chock full of dignitaries, and then because I'm married to Nicole, who many of the API-Equality people know since she works at Advancing Justice, they asked me.  It was fun, though I was stressed out the entire time that Kimi was circumventing the entire rally by running back and forth and posing for pictures in front of the speakers while they were giving their talks... goodness gracious. But on a positive note, it was great seeing so many friends that I have gotten to know the past several years while working on marriage equality.  Too many to list, but I just like seeing you all and catching up!  I look forward to the day the catching up occurs at Trader Joes or a restaurant rather than at an LGBT event, as total equality will have been achieved!  Anyway, here is the talk. (Thanks Marian Sunabe for the picture!  Doesn't it look like Kimi is actually supporting me, rather than poking me with the flag and trying to distract me?  hahaha)

Thank you for the opportunity to share some words today at this hugely important rally against homophobia. Over the course of the past couple of years, it has been a privilege to work alongside many of you in trying to change the hearts of the API community to embrace equal rights and marriage equality.  Despite this weather and today’s circumstances, it’s been exciting to see so many familiar faces and friends here today.

At the same time, as a Christian minister, I’m grieving. In Christian circles, we have a word for it; it’s called lament.  I’m lamenting the fact that many of my fellow Christians have so lost their way, devoting way too much of their time demeaning and oppressing the LGBT community. They’ve lost their way because what they’re doing, what they feel like is on behalf of God, in truth has little to no resemblance to the God that I know and follow.  The Jesus they follow is one of hate, judgment, and condemnation…. It’s strange, but I don’t find that Jesus when I read my Bible.  The Jesus I read about, fell in love with at age 10, and pray every night that my two daughters will eventually believe in, is one who loved unconditionally, forgave before forgiveness was even asked for, and saw the good in all the people he encountered, many of whom were the vilified and ostracized in their communities.  So whenever my fellow Christians make their voices heard, describing a hateful and homophobic Jesus that is absent from the Bible, I lament because it only makes it harder and harder to disregard all that noise and hear the actual voice of Jesus, the Jesus that longs to embrace each and every one of us in his loving arms.

I also lament because when so many people in the LGBT community are asked about their impressions of the Christian faith, they can only bring up negativity and pain.  And that’s sad for me because I can’t blame them; they’re right.  And if you are one of the many that my faith has mistreated so horrificly, I’m so sorry.  And I lament that for many of you, you weren’t even given a fair shake in coming to know the God that I’ve devoted my life to… and the fault lies with us in the Christian community, not you.

Lastly, I lament because if the larger Christian church continues along its path of opposing equal rights, that my two daughters will inevitably turn their heads away from the church, something that has been so important to my wife and I.  And I lament because if they ever make that decision, it will make total sense.  The God that the opposition describes, I don’t want anything to do with that God either.  It’d be some form of child abuse to force my kids to continue worshipping that kind of hateful and judgmental God.

In closing, as a co-laborer alongside so many of you who are tirelessly fighting for LGBT rights and equality, I’m upset.  I’m upset that this group of people, who lets be honest, are strangers to many of you, want to take away your rights.  It’s not right, and it makes me mad…. It makes me mad until I see that they’re doing it claiming to represent the same God that I worship and follow… and that just breaks my heart.  So even though so much of me is upset, I feel the need to close by apologizing again.  I’m so sorry you have to go through all this nonsense.  But please don’t give up. Keep up the incredible work that all of you are doing, and I promise to continue working alongside fellow Christians who are working to change the hearts and minds of people in our faith community as well. Because equal rights is worth it. Equal rights for all is something that my Jesus is all for.