far between

A little over a week ago, the website for Far Between was launched.  If you haven't already, you should go and check it out.  There are several videos of people sharing their stories and lots of resources.  I think the most important part of the site is the collection of people telling their stories.  If you don't personally know anyone who is gay, but would like to gain a little more understanding on the topic of homosexuality, watching these videos is a great place to start.  New videos will be added regularly, so you'll want to check back.  This video of Nick was just released this afternoon.




There are also videos of parents of gay children, sharing their experiences.  Like Andrea:




And Charles:




Watch the videos and allow yourself to open up to and be affected and challenged by their stories.  There are people with a variety of perspectives.  I've found that too often, when listening to these types of stories, if information isn't given up front about the person, we listen closely for specific words and ways of describing one's own experience so we know whether or not the person's story is legitimate or not.  If they describe their experience in the same way I would and use similar words that I would use, then I open myself up to their story.  If not, then I dismiss the person and the story.

Try not to do that.  Try opening yourself up to the person and the story, even if (or especially if) the story doesn't immediately resonate with you.