I love you more now, because I know you more now
Without a hand to hold;
May you never make your bed out in the cold."
- John Martyn
According to the National Coalition for the Homeless and other organizations, LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender) people are at a high risk for homelessness, mainly because of family rejection. The issue of LGBT homelessness is an overlooked public health issue. I became aware of this issue in April 2015, when I attended NYU McSilver Institute’s symposium on Poverty, Trauma, and Resilience. During a presentation called "Trauma of LGBT Displacement in the US and Abroad," presenters discussed ways in which marginalized people have developed creative strategies to "remain resilient despite violent oppression and exile."
Fast forward a year later, and we find Mississippi and North Carolina passing anti-LGBT laws that hint of a nightmarish Jim Crow era. I grew up in one of North Carolina’s college towns primarily during the 80s and 90s. I remember when over ten years ago, my former co-worker Lanya Shapiro founded the social justice organization Traction, where people share meals together and advocate for social justice. I will admit that I am glorifying the past, but I think it’s safe to say that my peers and I thought life would get better and that society would be more inclusive.
I now live in New York and work for Community Access. Part of the work that we do at our agency is working to eradicate homelessness and poverty by creating housing and employment. We understand that homelessness and social isolation can lead to addiction and other illnesses, and even death. According to one addiction specialist Akikur Mohammad in The Anatomy of Addiction "perhaps the most disturbing discovery, repeatedly verified by extensive international research, regarding the disease of addiction is that emotional pain and stress—especially alienation, social exclusion, and emotional distancing—create actual neurological damage that increases the risk of alcoholism and addiction and the risk of never recovering."
Recently, a young friend disclosed to me that he might be gay. He knew of my values and my unconditional love for him, yet still he seemed hesitant to disclose his thoughts.
To my friend I say: I’m getting tired of hatred, stigma and marginalization. It’s 2016, and I’m still afraid that someone will hurt you because of who you are.
At the ends of our lives, will we look back and know that we cast people aside, marginalized others? Or will we build communities?
To my friend I say:Why would I reject you, when you have accepted me? Why would I turn you away because of who you are? I have always loved you, and I love you more now, because I know you more now.
Wednesday, 31 October 2018