Needless to say, opponents were not happy...

There were protests across the country, the heaviest of course being in California and Washington DC.  Living in a city that's got the GLBT population of Indianapolis, it's a given that there'd be some sort of response here, too.

I got the call at 2:20 yesterday afternoon that there would be a protest downtown - I wrapped up my work obligations and headed down, calling everyone I could think of who might either support the protest or at least be interested in witnessing and possibly learning from it... one person showed up.

In their defense, it was a last-minute announcement and it was happening on a weekday in the middle of the afternoon.  Some of the people I called were at work and couldn't answer their phones or had already scheduled other things for that time.  One person was actually out-of-state and a few said they would try to rearrange their schedules to make it down.  Then there were some people who could have come but they just made excuses instead - and I understand that it's not a priority for everyone, especially for those who don't even know what Prop 8 is - but that's where my hurt and frustration come from.

When I arrived I was handed a picket sign that condemned the right wing and born again Christians who were so vocal in their opposition to same-sex marriage... thankfully, a friend who knew me was also there and he offered to trade my sign for one that was less anti-Christian.  Throughout the following three hours I was privy to conversations and remarks against the Christian community... and I was treated to a man who drove by and called me a "f***ing faggot" while his small children sat in the back seat.

The whole time, I kept asking, "Where are my Christian friends?"

Such is my typical experience - I'm a minority within a minority.  Being a gay Christian is hard enough as I try to find a balance between the two concepts that have traditionally not been considered compatible, but it's made even more difficult when people from both factions are working so hard to damage and even destroy the credibility of the other.  I've had countless conversations with people trying to explain how the issues are not so black and white and I've known many Christian friends who have told me they recognize the mistakes of the church and want to work to correct those errors.

So where are they?

I don't know... they weren't with me.

Over the course of the last three years I can count on two hands the number of Christian friends who have shown up when I've invited them.  I get the fact that for many of them this is an issue they're still trying to figure out and they don't want to jump on board in support of something they don't really believe in - I respect that and I commend them for being honest about their uncertainty.  But all I've ever asked of any of them is to show up... that's it.  There's no better way to learn about something you don't know then to allow yourself the opportunity to observe.

I guess this post sounds kinda angry, and I suppose there is some anger that motivates it... but mostly I think I'm motivated by hurt and injustice.  If it was just me who was being harmed by the neglect of supportive Christians then I'd try to grit my teeth and suck it up... but the fact is that everybody at that protest (and all those who drove by, and all those who heard about it) could have benefited from the presence of Jesus - the real Jesus, not the one who stands on corners condemning others to hell without ever knowing who they are.  As Christians, it's our responsibility to bring light to the dark places.

And I'm not without hope - it's a process that's slowly making progress against generations of misinformation and misunderstanding.  I'm confident of what the outcome will be and I'm working to be patient as I try to show both sides that it is possible to work together.

But I could've benefited from having my Christian brothers and sisters with me, too...