Show your Forgiveness, Show your Pride

This post is a part 1 of a 5 part series on Showing Your Pride through Simple, Unexpected Ways. Enjoy!

I'm a really strong believer that some of the best forms of activism are those which transform negative stereotypes through positive personal interactions. Many homophobic people have completely incorrect perceptions of the queer community: always angry, always in-your-face, always innappropriate. While there are certainly times to show anger and firmly stand up for our rights, there are also times to show gentility and forgiveness.

I remember hearing a story once about a Vancouver gay man in the pride parade who had manure thrown at him by city transit workers, of all people, who had come to parade with a wheelbarrow full of manure. The next year, he walked in the parade again, this time with a wheelbarrow filled with flowers, which he handed out to people as he passed by. This action must have taken a lot of inner strength and courage, and is one that makes me proud to be a part of the same community as him.

I'm certain that each of us have at least one experience of an emotionally and maybe even physically harming discrimination, and while our society's frequent hate acts are something to be angry and deeply disturbed about, let us also think about ways in which we can begin to forgive those who really don't understand what they are doing.

I recognize that this is a contentious position to hold, and I want to be very clear that I am not condoning acts of discrimination or violence, or saying that we shouldn't stand up for ourselves, but I also think that a movement toward forgiveness is a really powerful, subversive, and unexpected form of activism. When we can't, or choose not to forgive, ultimately, we suffer deeply because of the negative emotions that we are harboring inside of us. Even for our own sake, a movement toward forgiveness can be a very rewarding endeavour.

I believe that forgiveness is not automatic, not is it a one-time deal. Instead, forgiveness is a daily journey, a continual decision to give more than we have received. In the proper time and place, forgiveness can be one of the most powerful forms of activism, of showing our pride. Reacting not from anger, but through a desire to educate and transform negative stereyotyping, can make a really big difference.

Do you have any examples of how showing forgiveness radically altered someone's stereotypes against the queer community? When are there times that not forgiving is ok? How are some really good ways to show forgiveness, and how do we know when it's the right time and place? Join the dialogue!