Maine Equality: Great Food, Fun Chat, Inspiring Moments

The Maine Equality dinner was full of great food (surprising for a large banquet in a hotel), fun chat and truly inspiring moments.   It was alot to take in and more than I expected.  I’ll just give you a few highlights (at least the ones I can remember!)

• Everyone looked super gorgeous.  I don’t think I’ve seen so many handsome men or beautiful women in one spot before.   In our little group purple was the color and three of our little party were really purple’d out
• The most impactful speaker of the evening was a family.  They live in Aroostook County in Maine and it is basically a conservative farming community.   When their daughter came out of the closet as lesbian, the family wasn’t sure what to do but took the time to prayerfully consider.  They decided she was family and they accepted her fully.  When their Church started to collect money to fight against the marriage equality bill in Maine, this family realized that it was them and their daughter whom their church was attacking.  With deep pain, they left their church to support their daughter.  They also because staunch allies of the marriage equality bill, collecting signatures, talking to their town, and even placing ads in support of the bill in local newspapers.  I was in tears I was so touched.
• I met a woman named “R” who had come out of the closet in her early 40′s.  What a great lady she is!  We talked for much of the evening about Maine and, her experience of struggling in the closet for so long.  I marvelled at how similar her story is to many of us in the LGBTIQA community
• Timothy Rose, Maine Equalities Communications Director was inspiring in his speech.  He noted how long many of us have struggled and, in a moment that made my jaw drop open, he specifically mentioned how the “T”, transgender, part of the community was every bit a part as any other letter.  I’m not sure why I would even be surprised by that but I am in many instances and, it was really warming to hear it.
• There was a long segment about the gay/straight alliance in Maine. The numbers of LGBT kids who are bullied is frightening.  LGB kids are out of school 4x the average of straight kids.  Transgender kids are out of school 10x as much.  Imagine that!  Is it any wonder that with intimidation so intense to make these kids skip school that many transgender girls turn to survival sex?   Gay/straight alliances make a big difference here, NOT to brainwash kids into being LGBT or straight but rather to keep them alive, keep them safe, and keep them in school.  That doesn’t sound subversive that sounds like the kind of things that we should be doing for our kids.

All in all, it was a great time and very moving.  I was so happy I attended, besides the fact I got to spend time with some of my favorite ladies and meet some new sparkling fresh women as well!