Growing Up Hayden

 

We’ve named our blog, Growing Up Hayden because we feel it’s a testament to what it is to live in the now, in a world where the LGBT community is fighting for acceptance and equality.  Our content is focused on all aspects of what it is to live, love and thrive in what’s still a very judgmental world.  Growing Up Hayden is a live narrative that we hope will continue to illustrate positive changes and a more and more loving, open and welcoming world.

No Soup for You!

…and by “soup” we mean communion.  In the Catholic church.  Philadelphia archbishop says no communion for sexually active gays.

Fine.  Whatever.  We know how it goes.  No sex before marriage.  We get it.

Sex (gasp!) is still a sin in the eyes of the very narrow-minded Catholic church.

We confess.  While kind of giggling, though.  Why?  Because they’re so medieval they haven’t really even noticed no one is really listening to what those old farts have to say anyway.  This behind-the-times, no-girls-allowed all (supposedly – straight) God-loving boys club needs to get with the times.

GOD IS LOVE.

Greater Diversity Needed

Florida’s Department of Children and Families were scheduled to remove protections for LGBTQ youth in foster and group homes. Equality Florida and child welfare experts immediately took action and met with DCF Secretary Mike Carroll. A three hour public hearing followed and all testimony unanimously expressed strong support for reinstating the protections for LGBTQ youth.

Along with reinstating these protections against discrimination, bullying, psychological abuse and forced “conversion therapy” DCF also announced its plan to implement long-term training plans. Care providers and other professionals working with DCF will be trained to implement nondiscrimination protections for LGBTQ youth. Also a position will be developed to address any complaint of discrimination. An anonymous hotline will be established that will allow an immediate investigation into a claim of mistreatment.

Equality Florida also issued a challenge to members of the LGBTQ community to become foster parents. Greater diversity for foster families is needed. “Nothing will improve the lives of young people in the child welfare system more than proper placement and that depends on an expanded pool of diverse options. I encourage all LGBTQ adults to seriously consider this challenge, and to be the adult you wish you had in your life when you were young. “

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Pride Picnic Cancelled in Texas due to Violence Threat

It’s a sad day in the park when a pride picnic is canceled due to a threat of violence.  Next Sunday, July 10th was supposed to be the annual pride picnic in College Station, Texas.  Unfortunately, organizers called off the event because of a violent threat.  Gaystarnews reported that,  “According to KBTX, a local television news station, a flier advertising the event was reposted with the following comment: ‘Lock and load. Time to make the news.’

The FBI are investigating the threat and the organizers of the event are looking to reschedule and make it an even bigger occasion to attend.  Pride, love and picnics will prevail.

The Pope Seeks Forgiveness

Moments like these don’t often happen which is why we relish in them when they do.  A few weeks ago, Pope Francis said Christians should apologize to gay people and others who’ve been treated badly and marginalized by the church.

“I think that the church not only should apologize to the person who is gay whom it offended, but it must also apologize to the poor as well, to the women who have been exploited, to children who have been exploited by (being forced to) work. It must apologize for having blessed so many weapons,” Francis added, according to Reuters.

As his namesake suggests, this Pope’s mission aims to rebuild the church; to make it more inclusive and welcoming.  He’s shepherding the lost sheep, those who’ve been made to feel alienated.  And he seems to be succeeding.  In 2013, Advocate Magazine named him Person of the Year.  We’re pleased to see that far Pope Francis continues to live out the true legacy of “advocate.” Check out the full story here.

Hooray for Mississippi!

Mississippi’s making progress thanks to U.S. District Judge Carlton Reeves who blocked anti-LGBT law HB 1523 from taking effect. The law would have made it legal to discriminate against the LGBT community, as well as other organizations and companies founded on “sincerely held” religious beliefs. Earlier last week, the judge already nixed the bathroom section of the bill which would have forced transgendered people to use the bathroom associated with their birth gender instead of their gender identity. Judge Reeves wrote that HB 1523 ‘violates both the guarantee of religious neutrality and the promise of equal protection of the laws’ and that ‘the deprivation of equal protection of the laws is HB 1523’s very essence.’ ‘Under the guise of providing additional protection for religious exercise, it creates a vehicle for state-sanctioned discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity,’ Reeves also wrote. ‘It is not rationally related to a legitimate end.’

What can we say?  We heart Judge Reeves.  We heart Mississippi.

View more of the story here.

Mile Markers

One year ago, you might recall, we weren’t all wondering what the heck was going to happen with BREXIT but rather, what was going to happen with SCOTUS and LGBT marriage rights.

‘Member that?  Yeah, us too.  Foggily.  Despite the fact over one million LGBT Americans have tied the knot over the past year, the truth is, it still feels like we ain’t there yet.  Mostly because, um, as y’all know…  We aren’t.  Sure, same-sex marriage is officially legal but until everyone is in full agreement of that and ready to recognize it, we’ve got a long ways to go, babies.

And yet, still, we celebrate with pride.

Legal pride!

Just check out these two ninety year old Iowans who waited to tie the knot for over seventy years!

 

Just How LGBT-friendly is the Free World, REALLY?

Prides get snubbed a lot.  There are two main camps we can see from here:  1) Those who can’t stand to see there’s sexual diversity in the world 2) Those in the LGBT community who don’t feel comfortable with all that glitter, fuss and fun.  

We don’t know what anyone ever had against studs or glitter, but yeah, okay, we get it.  Nonetheless, whatever your take is on a city-wide week-long celebration that invokes being proud of your sexuality, please note: this is important.  Prides mark a place and a time and an occasion for being oneself.  Want to don feathers and heels, douse yourself in glitter and prance down Main Street?  Want to show off your buzz cut, the piercings your mom will never know about along with your secret tats?  My darlings, this is the time to do it.  This is the time to do it and be proud of wanting to do it.  

Too often people who want to be themselves don’t have a time and a place for it.  Proof:  BBC just published an article last week saying that after surveying over 1000 LGBT+ people, a whopping “seventy-four percent felt the need to hide their sexual orientation or gender identity.”   

If the majority of Londoners, one of the so-called most progressive cities in the free world, is fearful of being known as “out,” we’ve all got some work to do. Check it out.