Outspoken: Justin Lerner.As I drove by the First Evangelical Free Church near St. Louis on February 25, where the "ex-gay" Love Won Out conference was being held, I did not know what to expect. Would there be many protesters on our side or only a few? Would counterprotesters be present? To my surprise, I was greeted by hundreds of people smiling and waving. They were holding signs that read LOVE NEEDS NO CURE and GOD MADE ME GAY. I couldn't wait to get out of the car and join everyone. I had struggled for so long as an adolescent ad·o·les·cent adj. Of, relating to, or undergoing adolescence. n. A young person who has undergone puberty but who has not reached full maturity; a teenager. with my sexual orientation sexual orientation n. The direction of one's sexual interest toward members of the same, opposite, or both sexes, especially a direction seen to be dictated by physiologic rather than sociologic forces. . I thought I was sinful and did not deserve to live because of who I was, Every day was worse than the one before--the pain, hurt, and suffering of feeling like I was less than human was all too difficult to endure at times. During that period of pain, I could not ever have imagined feeling support like I did at this protest. I was overcome with a feeling of joy and hope for the future. Some of the people in the cars pulling up to the church were adolescents, many of whom looked like they were being forced to attend. It broke my heart to see these kids being brought to an event that told them to change who they are. The expressions on their faces were of devastation and despair, Yet some of these forced participants waved back to us. Later in the day an 18-year-old guy from Arkansas Arkansas, river, United States Arkansas (ärkăn`zəs, är`kənsô'), river, c.1,450 mi (2,330 km) long, rising in the Rocky Mts., central Colo. sneaked out of the conference and came over to talk to us. His parents were forcing him to attend, He told me that the signs of love and hope made all the difference to him. He had been kicked out of his Christian high school Christian High School, also known as CHS, is in O'Fallon, Missouri. The school mascot is the Eagle and the school colors are teal and black. Their women's soccer team has won many state championships. for being gay. He did not have support at home. As I listened to him talk, I realized why I participate in all of the activist work that I do. Nobody should ever have to feel rejection from his or her own family. Once the conference began to let out, we all began to chant chant, general name for one-voiced, unaccompanied, liturgical music. Usually it refers to the liturgical melodies of the Byzantine, Russian Orthodox, Roman Catholic, and Anglican churches and is analogous to cantillation in Jewish liturgical music, Qur'anic chanting . One of my favorite My Favorite is an independent synthpop band from Long Island, New York. They released two CDs: Love at Absolute Zero and Happiest Days of Our Lives. My Favorite broke up on September 14, 2005, when singer Andrea Vaughn left the band. cheers was "Still gay? That's OK." Even though I was cold from standing outside all day, I was filled with a sense of rejuvenation Rejuvenation Aeson in extreme old age, restored to youth by Medea. [Rom. Myth.: LLEI, I: 322] apples of perpetual youth by tasting the golden apples kept by Idhunn, the gods preserved their youth. [Scand. Myth. . I will always keep this experience in a special place in my heart and carry it with me for the rest of my life. I learned today that love truly needs no cure. --Lerner is 23 and lives in St. Louis. |
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