My dear daughter, my country is about to have its first ever Gay Pride parade, but sadly it is taking place against the backdrop of bitter and hostile opposition from the leaders in Guyana’s Evangelical community.
As I reflected on the occurrence of this momentous parade, my thoughts ran on you. I remember attending my first Gay Pride parade with you in New York City, and I remember the emotional pain you endured from the ensuing reactions after you came out of the so-called closet a couple of years before. And I remember saying to you that if you are going to be consigned to hell because you are gay, that I would return my ticket to heaven (presumably received on account of my born-again status) and, in protest, join you in hell. And I thought how much I love you in all your beautiful gayness and how I would give my life to protect your right to be who you are and that I would stand up to anyone to defend you, be it God or the Devil (even if in a losing cause).
My daughter, I want you to know that I am proud of you. There are many things in Nature that I cannot understand, and gayness (for want of a better term) is one such phenomenon in nature that I cannot understand, but I wholeheartedly embrace this seeming paradox as part of Nature’s inscrutable mosaic. And you are one of those beautiful natural paradoxes, cherished above all else. I love you, my gay daughter, like it is nobody’s business.
NOTE: More about Ric Couchman
