Freedom Always Finds A Way
Whatever, SCOTUS, I have several reasons to celebrate authenticity today...
As we all heard, the conservative-packed Supremacist court gave permission for some in our country to discriminate against others (people of color, LGBTQ+)… again.
Did you know that the court case that they decided yesterday against LGBTQ+ equality was based on a “Christian” web designer named Lorie who has yet to build one single website? Me neither until I saw this. She was afraid of a fictional scenario, and that was enough to overturn the will of Coloradans who elected officials to pass non-discrimination laws.
But enough of that mess. I got things actually to celebrate…
Earlier this month, I celebrated the ten-year anniversary of our announcement of closing down Exodus. I say it every year; it was the best worst day of my life.
It was one of the worst in so many ways, my life was imploding. I was closing down the organization I thought was my lifelong calling, paying my bills, and the only community I had known for over two decades.
On top of that, I had no plans beyond shutting it down. Had no clue what was going to happen next. I knew that my delusion and denial had been destroyed and shutting down was the only option, but… what now? I went into a really bad depression once all the noise of closing died down, and it was only the second time in my life I had felt suicidal.
But, by the end of 2014, I had landed on a personal mantra, “I am going to fight for life, not get run over by it.”
When my self-employment thing appeared not to be working because my large Christian clients bailed because of my being openly gay, unlike Lorie, I did build dozens of websites. One even said their board determined I was a “threat and weakness” to their ministry.
So I stocked groceries. Quite humbling to go from reaping the rewards of being an Executive manager in an organization to slinging gallon water bottles on the shelves every thirty minutes because it was on BOGO sale.
I then heard of a better-paying job involving customer service and phone support for a gigantic telecommunications company. Before getting involved with ex-gay ideology, I worked in IT (information technology). So, tech stuff has always been in my blood, and this was an entry-level position at age forty-nine, to rebuild that career.
Five and a half years and five promotions later, I started my new leadership position yesterday! Hooray. It’s nice to earn recognition and placement based on my true self, not what others want me to be. It’s a great, transcendent feeling of knowing I now intentionally use my superpowers for good, not blindly allowing others to use them to empower evil.
Add in that this is a long Independence Day weekend … and freedom is ringing throughout my household despite Lorie and her imaginary fears. Today we are headed out to meet up with friends to celebrate July 4th AND my promotion. Follow me on IG, FB or Notes for photo updates :).
Love always wins, Freedom always finds a way…