CYPRIOT ORTHODOX CHURCH - ACCEPT THE RIGHTS OF THE LGBT
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I grew up in Cyprus. When I was about 11 years old, I was attending Sunday school at my local Church. One day, I went to confess, and Father Marios asked me: Who do you love more? Your parents or Jesus Christ? To me, that was a question with no answer, of course, I said, I love my mother more.
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This incident has always stayed in my mind - how can someone plant that seed to an 11 year old? Brainwashing, preaching love and care but then asking you to choose. To me, God and Family were one and the same, I was blessed. But did I HAVE to choose? Why?
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It deeply saddens me, seeing all the prejudice and racism that goes on in Cyprus, my home.
I left seven years ago, I left family and friends behind. For years I felt I was 'abnormal', a rebel with no place to fit in the society that I grew up in. I was overwhelmed by the gossiping nature, the old ladies at church every Sunday, when the priest was saying his Pater Emon and Amen, they were talking about the jewellery or outfit of the other lady. Talking about how dare she cross her legs in church. How dare she wear trousers at church.
Now, 25 years later after I have been on this earth, I ask YOU.
HOW DARE YOU?
Recently I realised it is very easy to turn your head and say 'How dare they be like this? Leave them behind, their existence will be their undoing' and move on, find a new place to call home where LIBERATION is the answer.
This petition was born out of the recent discussions about homosexuality in Cyprus.http://www.sigmalive.com/news/local/126988
I am not homosexual. I am not attracted to the opposite sex, I am attracted to justice, peace, and PEOPLE.
When we come to this earth, we come as gifts. Oh the joy we offer to our friends and family. We have a Christening, to celebrate our arrival to this earth. We are new to everything. All we want is our mother's hug. Oh how safe we feel there. For years all we need is LOVE. We smile, we cry, we play around, and all this time, our WHOLE existence depends on those who love us. We come to this world not knowing what colours are. We do not know any language. We do not know what sex is, never the less what is the 'normal' thing to be attracted to.
Shortly after, we are put in boxes. Building up high walls to help us be shaped to the Cypriot citizens our family, our church, and of course, our neighbours will be proud of. These are the walls that keep us imprisoned. These are the walls that lead us to corruption, unhappiness and hold us away from finding the truth to everything in our lives. The effort to create good citizens often turns like a boomerang and becomes a long process of creating a prejudiced personality.
Growing up, not once did I see affection between my mother and my father. They are still married. What did that result to? My father cheating on my mother, me finding out and still not telling her. Why? Because they didn't divorce. Because they didn't give each other the chance to find true happiness. What is the impact on me? Staying in an abusive relationship with a guy and feeling so scared to leave, in case I disappoint my family.
The day I left that relationship I came out of the box I was put it.
I broke a little bit of that wall.
The wall we are faced with now as a nation, as a family, is none other than the attack of the Church against the LBGT rights.
But, alas, it is not the Church alone. The tall men in their long, black gowns and long beards, carrying the gold crosses around their necks are just the representatives of a lot of people in our society.
I remember my friend Pavlos at school, was challenged to touch my bum by his fellow classmates to prove he was not gay. How are these people different to the heads of our Church?
And what does it matter anyway?
What does it matter to YOU?
If you rush to judge, stop it. You think it is not moral? Ok, take a few seconds, think: are YOU moral? If you are religious, then have that, Jesus said: The one who has no sins, let him throw the first stone. So I suggest you focus on your self and leave the saviour role to someone else.
Homosexuality is an illness that needs to be treated. That's what we say. And those people that have been asked if they love God more than their parents when they were little, and allowed that little seed to grow to a big, rotten tree with deep roots, will agree. And they will teach that to their children, and their grandchildren. The only thing that needs treating is the refusal of individualism.
Homosexuality is something that we learned from abroad. Yes, ok. It is the same as learning to put mustard in our Burgers, just like the Americans do.
To you, who are gay and proud, I applaud you. I wish that in the future, being homosexual won't be something to be proud of - not because it is not right, but because it is nature. I am not proud of being straight - I am just who I am - my sexuality is not something to be proud about. It just is the way it is. I am the way I am. You are the way you are. I respect you and love you.
Don't lose hope, dear friend. We will get there. As long as I, just one insignificant person in this world speaks up, there must be more out there.
Black peoples' rights, women voting. Why is this any different?
Break the walls of the Cypriot Church who encourages divide and discrimination.
And I will keep breaking that wall until the day I die, and I will help others break their walls. And those others will break their walls too. And then help others. And then when we leave this earth, there will be less walls, and the ones that are still up, they will go too. We are Cypriot, don't ever stop being proud of who you are. We need to re invent something to be proud about. Our generation, when we have children, let's help our children make gardens, grow wonderful flowers and be happy. Get that wonderful gift you have when you have a child, and help him or her become a gift to humanity, spreading love and inspiration. Let love grow in their hearts. Let them fight against bullying. Let them fill the world and especially our home, Cyprus, with what has been missing. Acceptance,
NO MORE PREJUDICE.
NO MORE JUDGING.
NO MORE WALLS.
MORE LOVE.
MORE UNDERSTANDING.
MORE HOPE.
A BETTER FUTURE.
Let's make a revolution. One that would spread what we KNOW is right - Morality and rights are not written in books, or to any letters written by anyone to the Corinthians. What we KNOW is right, is in our soul. In the core of our body. Let's enlighten people, let's join together to help break those walls. To remind the church that is there to support the people they want to be supported. For whoever is not religious, it is not up to us to tell them what we think - we are just there to restore our faith in humanity.
In these difficult times, there should not be any room for hatred.
Sign our petition.
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Start the conversation.
Never stop fighting.
Never compromise.
Keep loving and living.
Voices from Cyprus and beyond, lets all scream together, and show them how LOUD we can be. How we can make change.
A. x
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