Living Proof

Empathy. That's what society is lacking. The word itself encompasses not only compassion, but the ability to feel what others are feeling, or just the effort of understanding other people's struggles. What I have learned over the years is that religion itself can remove empathy. I'll never forget back in 1997 when Christians told me I was going to hell just for being a lesbian. I couldn't believe this because I thought God was an "all loving God" and that Christianity was accepting, tolerant, patient and kind -- all of the things Corinthians speaks about regarding love. They called me horrible names and made me feel extremely alienated. They actually made me feel "hated" by God. But on my journey in discovery God more -- discovering Jesus more -- I learned a valuable lesson: Jesus is the one who is accepting, tolerant, patient, loving and kind. Some of the members of his fan club are not. They are nothing like Jesus. In fact, when I come across th...

As much as we should be understanding to our transgender community, in return, understanding for the unexposed has to be given too. There's a huge difference between being bigoted and downright rude, as opposed to being curious and inquisitive about the unknown. There are even "rules" about what to ask a transgender person for people who have never come across transsexualism. Given the fact that nobody should ever ask anyone of any gender details of their genitalia -- there has to be some level of unspoken and obvious truths. Nobody seems to care about the 800 lb gorilla in the room. That's exactly how it feels to someone who has never been exposed to the transgender community. So if you want to educate society (to which some believe they should educate themselves, which would be wonderful in a perfect world) -- then why are we super sensitive when asked an obvious question that is clearly driven by basic human curiosity? A transgender medical student named, Han...

Sometimes people amaze me. I'm at the farm market standing on a long line at the seafood/sushi counter with a bunch of cackling hens talking about Jenner. I couldn't help but eavesdrop while sifting through Asian spices and wasabi that I really didn't need. I always wonder if people realize how loudly they speak, or if they talk loud enough just to get other people's attention for shits and giggles. Usually, people in public who speak about these things are very "accepting" and seem to have this enormous amount of tolerance...till they get on Facebook and start throwing their little Christian stones and tantrums. I guess the one woman particularly didn't care for transgender people, especially after she said she would strangle some "man" if they came walking into the ladies' room. I do live in a very conservative area -- an area where there's no mention of anyone who is even apart of the L*G*B*T*Q ---ever. It's like they don't e...