Monday, March 19, 2012

An Open Letter to All Readers and Contributors – Past, Present, and Future






Dear Friends, Foes, and Everyone In Between –


My name is Michael.  You can call me Mike or MJ.  I am a closeted, semi-active Mormon, gay man with some bisexual tendencies.  I figure I’m probably a four or a five on the Kinsey Scale but I convinced myself I was no more than a two or a three for years.  I love to cook, play and listen to music, shoot photography, and collect shoes of all kinds.

I was born and raised in the Mormon bubble of Salt Lake City.  I served a two-year LDS mission and graduated from BYU.  I have a strict LDS family whom I love dearly and I know love me, too. I’ve been engaged to two different women, dated a lot of other girls (each of whom I have loved in one way or another), and I’ve fallen in love with one man who truly broke my heart.

I’m imperfect, irrational, and occasionally dramatic.  I’m terrible with money and I’m usually too generous with what I have.  I love to cook but my style of cooking lends me to look more like Paula Deen than Bobby Flay.  I was once an athlete but now I’m just well insulated.  I love to garden and grow my own vegetables and flowers but I’ve become relegated to houseplants. 

I’m artistic and creative and I have a penchant for seeing hidden potential in almost anything. I collect books, antiques, and art and I am currently building a business around re-purposing old furniture and other remanded items.

Ultimately, I am me.  Michael.  I speak for myself; nobody else.  I believe I can relate to many others which is why I lend my voice to this blog.  I am one voice among many who write for this site and each of us share our varied voices in a chorus that is unified in purpose.  Each of us writes to share our experiences and raise awareness for the LGBT community. Each of us does this regardless of religious affiliation, gender, gender identity, orientation or any other defining characteristic.  Although most of us come from an LDS background and that may influence our writing, we are not singular in our faith or in our target audience. 

As a member of the LGBT community, and as a writer for this blog, I welcome everyone to read our messages and I invite everyone to comment and participate in our dialogue. But, above all else, I do not apologize for breaching difficult subjects.  

Over the last couple of weeks we’ve discussed everything from sex and education to religion and suicide on this site. All of these subjects can, and possibly did, offend some of our readers. Again, I echo my previous comment: we do not apologize for these posts - in fact, we celebrate the courage and tenacity it takes to open up and share such personal aspects of our lives. While we recognize that some of our posts may not appeal to everyone who may read our blog, I know that each of us as writers appreciates the maturity that is usually displayed by the majority of our readers and by those who comment on our posts.  Thank you.

That being said, however, over the last week I have been called, along with the majority of my fellow bloggers, an imbecile, simple-minded, crass, intolerant, judgmental, inconsiderate, a jackoff, unprofessional, shameful, and ignorant. 

Really?

Rather than address these accusations, I will just say this:  I love you. I don’t know you, my accusers, beyond your names and your words.  But I do. I do love you.  I love your courage to share your voices and your opinions even though we do not agree.  I wish you the best in all of your endeavors and hope you find happiness in each of your actions.

We are told as children that “Sticks and stones may break our bones; but words will never hurt us.” We all know that’s incorrect.  I played very physical sports growing up and I was never shy about getting into fist fights as a kid but some of the words and accusations that were thrown around this week cut me deeply. Each of these statements hurt me much more than any punch, take down, or tackle did as an adolescent or young adult.

To conclude, the video below is part of a beautiful campaign that I hope each of us can latch onto and share.  We all need more love in our lives.  More kindness. More tolerance and respect. More peace.  We all need to hear something, it’s true. But, let’s start by sharing something kind and loving for someone else.  My voice is joined with yours. I love all of you. Friend or foe, I wish all of you the best whoever you are, wherever you are.  Thank you for reading.  Thank you for being you. And to some of you, thank you for loving me.


All my love,


MJ



19 comments:

  1. MJ,

    I've been reading this blog for a couple of months. I'm older than most of you, I was also raised in the Utah "bubble" in a very LDS home. I think I've read nearly every post for at least the last 2 months, and I have yet to read anything that I would consider offensive.

    I have seen raw, painful honesty that breaks my heart at times. I've seen loving, compassionate support from other bloggers who comment on posts. I've seen people who have been hurt by people who do and say hurtful, insensitive things in the name of their "morality" or religion. And yet these same people who have been hurt are the ones offering kindness and acceptance of others.

    This blog should be a safe place for people to share things that they choose to share, and if a reader doesn't like what they read, they have the option of moving on to something else. I see no excuse for unkind, hateful responses.

    I don't know any of you personally, but I've come to love you for the way you share so openly, and the way you support each other. To me, that is what life is about.

    Ignore the haters. They have their own issues. You all have nothing to apologize for.

    And thank you for this post - it's beautiful.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Tiffany, thank you so, so much for your kind words. I know that I have come to truly cherish and appreciate your comments on our blog and the guest post you wrote still sends shivers up my spine.

      Thank you for being you. For your willingness to listen and speak up and out. You are wonderful. Thank you and much love to you.

      Delete
    2. Thanks, MJ! Much love back! Your response on Jo's recent post made me cry. Thanks for allowing me into this world.

      Delete
    3. Tiffany, I really really like you. But mostly, I'm just really glad you're here :) and that you say stuff. so, thanks.

      Delete
    4. Tif - I've hoped that I'm not being annoying by commenting so much. I love these posts - I feel safe and at home here. And I think all of you are extraordinarily beautiful human beings. So thanks for letting me hang out :).

      Delete
    5. Can I add one more thing? There's a blog called Feminist Mormon Housewives that's very cool - really intelligent, thoughtful people write about all kinds of issues, and gay rights are often a big topic. I found their facebook group and joined a few days ago. There are over 1000 members in the group - men and women, some active Mormons, some semi-active, some not anymore. And a common thread that seems to come up is being upset about the way the church and many Mormons/Christians treat the LGBT community. It's a HUGE issue among a certain group of Mormons right now...lots of people are leaving the church, and lots of people are staying and trying to make changes from within. If any of you want to join the group thru facebook, let me know and I'll add you. (And it's not just housewives :) - there are single, married, gay straight...lots of diversity. Hooray for diversity).

      Delete
    6. I love that you comment and add to the conversation. I think you bring a wisdom and perspective that I yearn for. I would be interested in joining the group. How do we go about doing that...?

      Delete
    7. Maybe just send me an email at contacttiffany@gmail.com and I'll get more info to you.

      Delete
  2. MJ, you have such a beautiful heart. I love it. And you. And this post. Thank you.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Jo. I'm learning from the best (ahem, you and our fellow bloggers). Thank you for your sterling example and your love. Honestly, without it at this point of my life, I would feel very lost without it.

      Delete
  3. Awesome post. I do love being a part of this blog because we can be so open and honest.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dupree, I love that you are part of this blog, too. I truly hope that I don't overstep my boundaries - ever. If I do, please tell me! I love your fun personality and the way you cherish and value the little things in life. It keeps me grounded. I'm also super excited that we're AG buddies! I didn't usually like living up there to commute and go back and forth but I loved all of the little perks that went hand-in-hand with being up there all the time... But anyway. Thanks for all you do and all you are!

      Delete
  4. Mike, it is nice to meet you. :) I love this! I love how honest you are and show how much you love and care for everyone. This also shows that you know that they too have their own trials that they are going through. It really shows how great of a person you are. Amazing post as always MJ!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That means a lot, Chris. Thank you. I am no better than anyone and, honestly, in many ways I'm sure I'm much worse than the "Average Joe" but I am making an effort and I can see small changes being made.

      It's ironic, you know? I used to be a lot more fun, lighthearted, easygoing, compassionate, and, well, sweet. I have lost a lot of those attributes. I became bitter and jaded and very, very hurt. I am now doing all I can to overcome the negative and retrieve the positive. It's turning out to be a very difficult process but I am convinced it can happen. :)

      Thanks again for your very kind (albeit generous) words!

      Delete
  5. Thanks for this. I've struggled quite a bit on how to respond to the varying opinions about the blog and the content, and I love the way you address it here.

    You are a good writer. I love how you're "insulated" and "relegated to house plants"! thanks, Mike!

    lots of love!

    oh, and you really do have a crazy shoe collection.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. New post on shoes is forthcoming; be excited. Very excited.

      I have been very weighed down this past week from all of the dialogue we've encountered and participated in and I wanted to address my concerns in the heat of the moment but elected to try and simmer down and relax - I was able to generally do that in all but two instances but I figured I would try and assemble my thoughts and put them into a post rather than banter back and forth.

      Thank you for your love, friendship, and example. You are wonderful and amazing!

      Delete
  6. MJ! So, I'm just going to comment on a few posts in this response. I'm gonna start by saying that I love your posts! And your comments and all of your thoughts. They're amazing and if anybody thinks you have something to apologize for, I have big news for them. Thanks for your honesty, courage, level-headedness, and, above all, your kindness. (I'm a Hufflepuff, so I put that one first, rather than courage / Gryffindor, though sometimes it's a hard choice...)

    I appreciate everything you say on here and in response to your post last week, I wanna say that I believe in you. Even though you've reached 27. That number's no more important than any other. My papa's the kindest, most generous man I know and he didn't marry until 33. So I guess that's my unofficial deadline and you can make it yours for a bit if you'd like. But, really, what does it matter? I'm only 22 and I already jump longingly at the thought of marriage sometimes (just sometimes, mind you; I've been rather indifferent lately) and so I already know that it's tough to wait for it. But I guess all I'm trying to say is that when you find somebody, I believe that it will be what's right for you and it'll come when it's meant to. Not on your family's timeline and not to please your family. It'll be for you, and I think you'll be able to fulfill your dreams. You'll find a way.

    One last thought, in response to your suicidal thoughts (which you know I relate to). Whether your family will like it or not, you've always been their gay son with bisexual tendencies. If they want you in their lives now, they'll always want you around if they have the minds to add two and two together. Because you're the same person you've always been. You're just MJ. Giving them new knowledge won't be changing who you are: it'll be giving them a bigger picture of the person they've always cared about.

    Cheers, my friend!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, L. I love, LOVE, Love the last sentence of the last paragraph. That is such a wonderful perspective and I truly appreciate it. And your kind words. And you. Thank you. You are wonderful, friend!

      Delete
  7. Aaw. Thanks, MJ! And anytime. You're a great friend!

    ReplyDelete