Summer #10: No Matter What

Summer #10: After fifteen years of hiding the truth of her sexual orientation from her family, my friend Kari came out to her family last week. One night she dreamed that she was in bed with lots of IVs in her, and then the IVs started sucking the blood from her. She awoke and thought, "Something is sucking the life out of me." The next morning she called her family.

All of us in the gay community know how hard it is to come out and how hard it is not to come out. We know people who have been disowned by families and friends, dismissed from jobs, harassed by church members, bosses, and neighbors. Coming out is scary, but this is a happy story. Kari's mom said just the right thing: "We love you. We will always love you. You will always be our child. No matter what."

My mom said just the same thing. When I called my college friend Sara (who's also a lesbian, so I'm not sure why I was so afraid), I told her I had to tell her something, and I wasn't sure she'd want to be my friend anymore. Then I sobbed so hard I couldn't get a word out. On the other end of the line, a patient Sara said, "Did you kill someone? Because if you killed someone, I still love you. I will always love you. No matter what."

This is a good speech to memorize, just in case. Because, believe me, you never know. Mary