To the Editor:
I want to share an extremely positive experience that happened Aug. 21 at the Ocean City Public Library. On a beautiful summer afternoon, approximately 30 people, along with several participating online, attended a We Belong CMC event called “Religion and the LGBTQIA+ Community.”
To provide a positive structure for a potentially difficult discussion, the event focused on two specific topics. The first: What is the context of holy texts and how does that context impact our understanding of the Scriptures. The second: How can churches and people of faith support and love the LGBTQIA+ community?
The event was open to the public and in the audience were Buddhists and Christians, members and allies of the gay community, and parents of gay or trans kids. Our guests were the Rev. Dr. Julia L. Hankerson, the Rev. Stephen J. Connor, and Sandy Conrad McGarvey, LCSW.
I was the facilitator of this event, which will be the first of many conversations, and, to quote the hymn, we will continue to “draw the circle wide,” inviting as many voices as possible.
Dr. Hankerson provided a discussion of how the concept of love is a major tenet of most religions, and the audience agreed about the importance of loving and supporting one another. As we planned the discussion, we decided not to look at specific texts or verses, but rather to provide positive strategies to create conversations.
Facilitating the event was an extremely demanding and ultimately rewarding task, as I asked people to speak with love and to realize statements made with benign intentions can have devastating impacts.
Throughout the event, we stressed the need for love and support of the LGBTQIA+ community. The support from nearly every person in attendance was very encouraging. I am so grateful to everyone who came to listen, learn, and take the risk of talking with people who may not share each other’s views.
I cite again the hymn with words by Gordon Light, “Draw the circle wide, Draw it wider still, Let this be our song, No one stands alone! Standing side by side.”
KAREN WILLIAMS
Ocean City
ED. NOTE: The author is education chair for We Belong Cape May County, “a nonpartisan grassroots organization established to support LGBTQIA+ students in our schools and greater community,” according to the organization’s website.
