Community is What We Stand For (RCJ August 30th 2003)

After reading Robert Regier's article in Saturday's Forum (Aug. 16th), my first reaction was to refute his accusations point by point. But, I'm not going to do that. We have already done it many times and he just keeps bringing up the same old discredited garbage.

He talks about all the studies proving how horrible homosexuals are. Yet, he's never cited one. The likes of Mr. Regier have their minds made up and aren't interested in intelligent discussion. They are a political group and as such they are about "spin and distortion" not about the search for truth.

His attempts to define me are ridiculous because he doesn't know me. His attempts to define the Black Hills Gay & Lesbian Youth Support and Resource Center are equally ridiculous because he knows nothing of our mission or purpose. It has nothing to do with us.

The reality is that it is about Mr. Regier and his political ambitions. He has to define everything in terms that are most advantageous to him. Unfortunately, ignorance, hate, prejudice and hostility are the things which serve his divisive and polarizing agenda best.

If anyone wishes to have an intelligent discussion about the issues, we are fully prepared and capable of doing just that. We don't need Mr. Regier's permission or approval for the mission we have undertaken. The problems and concerns we are addressing demand attention and we are dedicated to giving them the attention they warrant.

We are a group of local citizens who have come together because of our concern for the safety and welfare of a bunch of kids, their families and this community.

Our foundation consists of people from all walks of life. We have both gay and straight members on our board of directors. We have both gay and straight parents involved. One of our primary goals is to save and strengthen families by helping parents to understand and come to terms with their gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender children. There are too many kids on the streets being exploited by predators because parents have disowned and kicked them out of the house.

We are dedicated to bridging the gap of understanding while Mr. Regier and his so-called Family Policy Council are into exploiting it for personal and political gain. It is the youth and their families that are suffering because of it.

In June 1972 Jeanne Manford walked beside her son in the New York City Gay Pride Parade. She carried a sign which read; "I love my gay son." At that moment PFLAG was born. PFLAG (Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays) personifies what we are all about. We are about people caring for and loving one another, no matter who they are or the way God created them. We are about parents loving their children and children loving their parents. PFLAG of Western South Dakota is now a reality.

I might add that one of the proudest moments of my life was walking in the first Black Hills Pride Festival with my mother at my side. There was another presence with us that day. We all felt it and commented on it. It is that same presence which continues to guide us in our mission. We are doing what is right! We are doing it in the cloak of His Love! It is a cloak of many colors.

We are also about helping our schools to become a safer, more nurturing place for all our students. We have programs and information available to help deal with bullying and harassment. While our focus is on creating a more nurturing environment for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender students, these programs help all students.

Our primary focus is the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender students themselves. Our mission is to provide them with a safe, nurturing environment. We want to help them become positive, progressive participants in our community. WE want to help them avoid the pitfalls of of drug and alcohol abuse, deppresion and suicide. Every child has the right to feel good about themselves and how they were created. Positive self image and self-esteem are the best barriers to self-destructive behavior. If you want to empower youth to be the best they can be, then let them know that they are loved, cared for and respected for who they are.

Mr. Regier's closing statement is frightening! If "tolerance is downright evil," what does he have in mind for intolerance? And what is he going to do about me? he talks about loving homosexuals. So why do I feel threatened and intimidated?

If that is his concept of love, then I do feel sorry for him. That has no similarity to the love that I've found in the Gospels or the Love that God has placed in my heart.

We are about helping build a community where everyone can belong, contribute and feel good about who they are. We are about the freedom to believe and live according to the dictates or one's conscience. We are about respecting and celebrating one another, not in spite of our differences, but because of them.

We are about loving God because he cared enough to make each one of us different. Is our community big enough to honor, respect, love and celebrate those differences?

That is what we stand for and what we are about. What do Mr. Regier and the Family Policy Council stand for? What kind of a community do they want and advocate?