Tuesday, June 26, 2012

Cyndi Lauper vs. Maggie Gallagher and NOM: Who Actually Practices the Gospel Message?

At times the hypocrisy and unwarranted self-congratulation of the "godly Christian" set and the defenders of "the sanctity of marriage" is enough to make me want to vomit.  Time and time again it is those who wrap themselves in religion and feigned piety and act like modern day Pharisees whoin fact  make a mockery out of both Christianity and the Gospel message of Christ.  Meanwhile, those deemed secularists by the pious frauds actually implement the Gospel message  much in the way of the Good Samaritan in the Gospel parable.  Two instances underscore this reality.  The first is the announcement by the National Organization for Marriage ("NOM") that it intends to expend $2 million to unseat pro-gay legislators and reverse same sex marriage in New York State.  Meanwhile, NOM doesn't spend a penny on the causes dictated by Christ: feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, caring for the sick and providing shelter for the homeless.  That's right, not a penny even though Maggie Gallagher and Brian Brown have milked NOM for very plush salaries,  And then in contrast, we have Cyndi Lauper  who has founded a foundation called the Forty to None Project, a national program to educate the public and support homeless LGBT youth.  I ask you, who is following the path of the Good Samaritan and who is acting like the Pharisees that Christ condemned according to the Gospels.  Here are highlights from Towleroad on Cyndi Lauper's efforts:  

Cyndi Lauper today launched the Forty to None Project, a national program to educate the public and support homeless LGBT youth. The project's name comes from the disturbing number of LGBT homeless youth. With up to 1.6 million youth who are homeless each year, 40% identify as gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender. Lauper wants that number to be "none".

Writes Lauper in a message about the project:

Five years ago, on the Christopher Street Pier in New York City, my eyes were opened.I was doing a photo shoot for Interview magazine and thought it was important to include some gay and transgender youth to reflect my work with the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community.  My goal was to send a message of inclusion and acceptance, but what I realized after talking to these kids was just how different my vision was from what they had experienced in their own lives.

The youth on the pier that day told me story after story of exclusion, of rejection and of pain. As a mother, I can’t ever imagine throwing my child away. I can’t imagine kicking a kid out of my house. I can’t imagine rejecting a person who is, literally, a part of me.

But for the kids of the pier, that rejection wasn’t something unimaginable. It was their reality. Anybody can end up on the street. Homelessness knows nothing of age or race or gender. It can happen to anybody.  But when statistics show that as many as 40% of the nation’s homeless youth are gay or transgender, compared to 3-5% of the overall youth population, we have to acknowledge that we’re facing a crisis. The disparity suggests that gay and transgender youth stand a much higher chance of becoming homeless because of abuse, neglect and familial rejection due to sexual orientation or gender identity that drive them to the streets.The kids on the Christopher Street Pier that day, and the other gay and transgender youth living on the streets who make up the 40% have done nothing wrong, other than being born the way they were supposed to be.  And because of who they are, these kids have been forced to leave their homes, subjected to abuse or worse.

Lauper says she has done her homework on the issue while raising awareness through her True Colors Fund, which has produced video and print campaigns like The Give a Damn Campaign, which featured celebrities discussing the issue. 

In our first five years, Forty to None will work to drive down the number of gay and transgender youth on the streets through a campaign that includes: education and awareness to raise the visibility of these young people and the direct service providers who work with them; advocacy at the state and federal levels; strengthening the network of services, advocates, community leaders and others working on the issue; training service providers to be more inclusive and understanding of the issues specifically affecting these kids; and empowering homeless gay and transgender youth themselves with valuable resources and information.

As a parent myself, I truly believe that parents who literally throw away their own children because of their sexual orientation deserve a special place in Hell.  And as for the religious traditions that give rise to such hate and cruelty, they make me want to have absolutely nothing to do with Christianity.  Yes, there are those who will say that all Christians are not this hateful.  This is true, but sadly, the majority of them - the "good Christians" - do nothing and sit on their hands and allow evil to triumph.  It makes me sick and again makes me want to avoid Christianity entirely.  Just like more and more members of the so-called milennial generation.

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