My Mind Made Public -

I held off as long as I could ...

Friday, July 3, 2009

2009 Gay Pride Parade Video 2 of 11

This is the first interview I conducted at the Parade. As soon as I got there I saw a group of people wearing purple shirts with the transgender logo on them (you’ll see the logo in the video). None of the people in the shirts “looked” transgender, so I went up to them and asked what they were walking for. It turns out that they were parents who have transgender kids. Two of these parents were more than happy to be interviewed on camera, and here are their thoughts on two questions:

1. What would you like to say to the Church as a parent of a transgender kid

and

2. What can the Church do to tangibly serve your transgender kid?

Notice that when the dad is talking, he’s eyes are welling up because he’s fighting back some major tears. In talking to him off camera he got very emotional as this was his first parade—he’s just trying to learn to live and love amidst everything going on in his, and his child’s life.

Much love.
www.themarinfoundation.org

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Wow! Great videos, Andrew. I'm totally looking forward to the rest of the series.

As a member of the broader GLBT community, this video captures an aspect of gay pride I wish everybody could see more of: advocacy in action. That you're willing to do that in the context of conversation is exciting and inspired. Thanks!

Unknown said...

How exciting to see bridges being built. Thank you for helping those of us who are not in daily communication with the GLBT community. Great videos.

Joseph Holbrook said...

Andrew: you are awesome man... I love your heart. I am straight and happily married 35 years, but I have been trying to do what you are doing, not only with gays, but with unbelieving secular young people in general, and it gets very lonely -- I have found few other people who are willing to immerse themselves among the people God loves... your example has encouraged me to live my life among unchurched (and gay) people with love as my orientation.

I have developed some good friendships with some wonderful gay people on the university campus but I always had some inner tension about how to resolve my own inner conflicts and how to answer their questions honestly. Your chapter on the 5 questions that are conversation stoppers really helped me to think it through and resolve those issues. I hope that I will be a better representative of agape love now to the GLTB community as well as other unchurched secular people.

a big "thank you" for who you are.

Andrew Marin said...

One of the most important things that I have found is, as simple as it is, people just recognizing this movement as paramount to Christ's work in this world - here, now, today. Thanks for all of your words and encouragments, and I look forward to doing this thing together! Much love. Oh, one other thought - the best icebreaker to this conversation is to go somewhere you don't belong. There is nothing better than sticking out like a sore thumb. :)

Anonymous said...

Andy, I'm going to go through these videos slowly, because so far the tears just start to flow with each one as I reflect on the people who have been hurt, as I reflect on some of my own experience, and as I reflect on the families of those who have been hurt. I am challenged to keep pressing on and to go where the church typically doesn't go. Thanks for the inspiration and motivation.