I will never know what it is like to be a lesbian woman or a gay man. I was born a heterosexual. I do know however what it is like to get a phone call telling you that your best friend, who is gay, is in a coma. She didn't believe that the world would ever accept her the way she is. She didn't think that she could spend another day in a world that didn't want her or people like her in it. I knew I was the last person she spoke to. I thought she was drunk. I wondered if there was anything I could have done differently. I prayed she wouldn't die. I was mad at her. I was mad at the rest of the world. That was almost 30 years ago. Things are finally starting to change and it's been a long time coming.

I have spent a lot of time lately wondering if what I have to say will matter to anyone but me. I wonder if what I have to say needs to be said. I think the fact that it has weighed so heavy on my mind means that it does need to be said and so I have decided to create a blog. Oh my, I have become a blogger!

I am not an eloquent speaker and I am not a writer. I was talking to my sister today when I told her that I don't make political posts on my Facebook page. But today I put an equality sign on my page. The reason is not because I'm making a political statement. It is not. I don't believe human rights are republican or democrat. I don't believe they are conservative or liberal. Human rights are just that. Human. Humanity. I made a human statement. I said that I believe that all men are created equal. Even if they are different than me. Even when I don't understand them. I do not have to fear what I do not understand. And neither do you.

A loving couple that wants to commit to each other in marriage is not going to affect your marriage any more than any other marriage will affect your marriage. I honestly cannot understand that argument at all. How can someone else's marriage affect yours? Does the neighbor that beats his wife make you beat yours? Does the woman down the street that attends every school function and bakes cookies daily make you super mom too? Or are you just afraid of having to have an uncomfortable conversation with your children? I can respect that. We all dread having to have those conversations with our kids. But just because something is uncomfortable does not make it wrong. Homosexuality has been around since the beginning of time. I am no less uncomfortable having to talk about ANY kind of sex with my kids. Alas, the sex talk has to come and it's going to come from me.

Then there is a the ridiculous recruitment argument I keep hearing. They're trying to recruit our kids! Well I will tell you. My best friend in grade school is a lesbian. My best friend in high school is a lesbian and my first roommate in LA is a lesbian and yet I am a heterosexual married mother of four children. If gays are all "recruiters" then they are woefully poor at it.

I'll be the first to admit that I am no bible scholar. I cannot quote scripture to save my life. I do however pray. I pray a lot. I believe in Jesus and I believe in his teachings and I believe when he said that the most important thing we can do is to love each other. Everything else is secondary.

I know that some people will say that they love them by saving them from their sin but to that I say bull! Should I come to your home and "save you" from your sin when you sin. I'm sure you are sinning all the time. But of course your sin is different. Better maybe. Or just not anything anyone can see so you can keep it hidden. I swear I have left so many churches because I go to church with people who have no sin. I just don't want to attend a church with the sinless. One more thing along these lines. My southern is going to come out here. Y'all are going to have to get over the sex thing. This is NOT ABOUT SEX. This is about love, commitment and family. Try for a second to wrap your head around that. If you've been married for a long time it might be a little easier. Yes there is a physical attraction to the same sex but beyond that the love and commitment is just like your marriage. If you are having a hard time getting past the sex part just think about all the mundane boring parts of marriage; the bill paying, laundry, grocery shopping, housework, etc...and that's gay marriage. Viola!

I hope that my children will never get a call saying that their friend tried to kill themselves because the world can't accept who they were born to be. I know my kids know that I will love them no matter who they are. I certainly hope the world catches up to that idea.

We are fighting a civil rights movement folks. We need to be on the right side of history. This is really important. Lives are at stake. The world is watching and if we aren't the ones to make the change, who will?