Jun 11Liked by Aaron Kimberly, LGBT Courage Coalition
Aaron, this brought tears to my eyes. I so desperately hope for a day when my brilliant, non-conforming (in all except gender ideology), young adult daughter dances with people like you, Jamie, Corinna and Lauren! Thanks to all of you for continuing this fight. I have never really had personal "heroes" until I had a child that needed brave people to sacrifice so much in their own lives to fight for her and those like her. I have the deepest gratitude, appreciation and LOVE for the LGBT Courage Coalition!!!! Please know that.
Jun 11Liked by Aaron Kimberly, LGBT Courage Coalition
Thank you so much for this. Your voices have so much more clout than mine and I am honored and grateful when you speak up so powerfully for my children. Thank you thank you thank you
Jun 11Liked by Aaron Kimberly, LGBT Courage Coalition
Lest I be too schmaltzy, I'll just briefly add on to the other comments with like words. That you are speaking out against harms to young vulnerable people - confused, or scared to really embrace their true selves, hiding their feelings with chemicals, surgeries, and lies (my daughter among them) - is something to be very PROUD of. I cannot thank you enough, and I am a bit jealous of how much fun you had. :)
I can't help but wonder what came after your abbreviated responses with the hecklers: when they learned your identity, how did they react? Is it possible they re evaluated their political biases, is it possible even just a tiny seed of doubt was planted?
I can't help but think of an "evangelizing" friend of mine, who sent me the Jamie Reed story when it first broke, with the comment that "see, some people are willing to say anything." I read her whistleblower piece, I read the affidavit, I googled for a while to see what else I could learn. I was stunned that he could see the same facts as me - this lesbian, married to a trans man - and still just assume that she was, at best, some paid off Republican puppet?
I can't talk to that friend any more. But I often wonder if there's anything that will actually change their minds. Apparently the "lived experience" of certain identities only counts when it serves your own political agenda?
I am so grateful to all of you for standing up to this madness. It takes so much courage, so much humor and so much grace; which all of you have in spades. I am an observer as I navigate through this with my teenaged daughter and your voices are powerful and meaningful to me and so many others (yes, we in this world talk about you as if you are friends we have coffee with), Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.
Kudos to the Dream Team: you are doing the good work, the hard work, speaking up for all of us whose lives have been impacted by homophobia. Thank you for putting yourselves out there and having the conversations that will truly educate!
Life is beautiful, enjoy it, you deserve it, so as the young, confused girls and boys, who just are not stereotypical, and not guilty for that. I hope that this madness will end, but not soon, huge money are behind it. Nobody is born in the wrong body, and a person is a body and soul! You have great souls, sharp minds and good intentions. Thank you!
I would have been much more interested in how the conference attendees responded to your presence, and, more specifically, the arguments you made. What worked, what fell on deaf ears. Where is there an opening for changing minds.
Aaron, this brought tears to my eyes. I so desperately hope for a day when my brilliant, non-conforming (in all except gender ideology), young adult daughter dances with people like you, Jamie, Corinna and Lauren! Thanks to all of you for continuing this fight. I have never really had personal "heroes" until I had a child that needed brave people to sacrifice so much in their own lives to fight for her and those like her. I have the deepest gratitude, appreciation and LOVE for the LGBT Courage Coalition!!!! Please know that.
"What we accomplished together at this conference was the deepest expression of Pride imageable." Thank you.
Thank you so much for this. Your voices have so much more clout than mine and I am honored and grateful when you speak up so powerfully for my children. Thank you thank you thank you
Thank you, to each of you, for your courage, your compassion, and, really, for just being your beautiful, authentic selves.
Lest I be too schmaltzy, I'll just briefly add on to the other comments with like words. That you are speaking out against harms to young vulnerable people - confused, or scared to really embrace their true selves, hiding their feelings with chemicals, surgeries, and lies (my daughter among them) - is something to be very PROUD of. I cannot thank you enough, and I am a bit jealous of how much fun you had. :)
Thank you for your proud and important activism. You made a difference, and you've inspired others to do so.
This is so beautiful. Thank you for sharing.
I can't help but wonder what came after your abbreviated responses with the hecklers: when they learned your identity, how did they react? Is it possible they re evaluated their political biases, is it possible even just a tiny seed of doubt was planted?
I can't help but think of an "evangelizing" friend of mine, who sent me the Jamie Reed story when it first broke, with the comment that "see, some people are willing to say anything." I read her whistleblower piece, I read the affidavit, I googled for a while to see what else I could learn. I was stunned that he could see the same facts as me - this lesbian, married to a trans man - and still just assume that she was, at best, some paid off Republican puppet?
I can't talk to that friend any more. But I often wonder if there's anything that will actually change their minds. Apparently the "lived experience" of certain identities only counts when it serves your own political agenda?
I am so grateful to all of you for standing up to this madness. It takes so much courage, so much humor and so much grace; which all of you have in spades. I am an observer as I navigate through this with my teenaged daughter and your voices are powerful and meaningful to me and so many others (yes, we in this world talk about you as if you are friends we have coffee with), Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.
Your list of pain is telling. Why is an ideology and medicalization pathway causing so much pain and being glorified and protected while doing so?
Wonderful, wonderful piece! Thank you so much for this, Aaron! This is truly the message that needs to be spread!!
Kudos to the Dream Team: you are doing the good work, the hard work, speaking up for all of us whose lives have been impacted by homophobia. Thank you for putting yourselves out there and having the conversations that will truly educate!
🙏❤️Liked and shared this with colleagues whom I hope to enlighten
Looking forward to Braver Angels debate Thursday night I was glad to see representatives of LGBT Courage Coalition are lined up as speakers:
https://t.co/VktDMYgK4r
Also I can’t help but see the reconfigured Pride flag as a symbol of fragmentation and confusion, not of unity or inclusivity
Thank you for the info about and link to the Braver Angels program!
Life is beautiful, enjoy it, you deserve it, so as the young, confused girls and boys, who just are not stereotypical, and not guilty for that. I hope that this madness will end, but not soon, huge money are behind it. Nobody is born in the wrong body, and a person is a body and soul! You have great souls, sharp minds and good intentions. Thank you!
I would have been much more interested in how the conference attendees responded to your presence, and, more specifically, the arguments you made. What worked, what fell on deaf ears. Where is there an opening for changing minds.
Did you manage to convince anyone who supported gender affirming care to no longer support it?
Thank You! 🥲