Our intern minister, Carrie, has a poster up in her office, reminding her that “We are many, they are few.”
These days, it’s an important reminder. The laws passed by our legislature, and around the country, try to tell us otherwise. It is easy to believe that those of us who are pro-LGBTQIA+ are in a despised minority. But it’s not true.
GLAAD, “the world’s largest Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer (LGBTQ) media advocacy organization,” released its survey results in the “Accelerated Acceptance 2023” report.
I encourage you to go read the report. They surveyed non-LGBTQ Americans and their conclusion is that “support for LGBTQ equal rights is at an all-time high.”
Universally, non-LGBTQ Americans overwhelmingly agree that LGBTQ people should be free to live their lives and not be discriminated against. Yet, GLAAD knows that a majority of LGBTQ people are experiencing discrimination. There is also universal agreement that schools should be safe and accepting places for all youth, and children should be taught to appreciate and accept people as they are:
- A 96% supermajority of non-LGBTQ Americans agree that schools should be a safe and accepting place for all youth.
- A 91% supermajority of non-LGBTQ Americans agree that LGBTQ people should have the freedom to live their life and not be discriminated against
- An 84% supermajority of non-LGBTQ Americans support equal rights for the LGBTQ community
The news is not all positive — it would be surprising if it were — with confusion especially around trans issues. But it reinforces something we’ve talked about before: that we need not assume that all the strangers we see are against the queer community. The numbers say this is not the case.
At the Round Rock Pride festival this past weekend, we got a taste of this. The festival was PACKED. And it was a joyful day, with rainbow and glitter galore. Special thanks to Alyssa Goss and her family for orchestrating Live Oak’s involvement with the event, and all the Live Oakers who staffed our booth and/or donated items for us to give away. It was a day of healing for many of us, a “revival,” as Alyssa said.
We are many, they are few.