No Greater Love

As the Equality Riders and I walked to join the protest against Prop 8, I saw something that gave me hope and strength. A mother was walking with her daughter, while holding her daughter's hand, the mother read our signs and said to her daughter, "You see that? Love is love. You can grow up to love whoever you want and I will always love you. Their love is no different from any other love." 

All I could think is, "Thank you." Finally, someone recognized my humanity and didn't invalidate my ability and capacity to love and be loved. Not only did she recognize all that but then turned to her daughter to teach her to do the same. Amazing! 

We continued towards the protest. When we arrived we waited 30 minutes to began to march from the reflecting pool in front of the U.S. Capitol to the White House. As we began to march with over 5,000 other lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people; chants began to roar throughout the crowd, "1, 2, 3, 4... love is what we're fighting for" and "What do we want? Equal rights! When do we want them? Now!" Those were the anthems of the protest. One example of a sign was, "I don't want 5 wives, 1 husband will do." 

When we arrived at the park in front of the White House I had the chance to briefly share my story to the crowd. After doing so, I felt I was in the center and part of history in the making. To stand in the face of injustice and cry out for justice is a powerful feeling. This isn't where it ends though. We all must come together and do our parts. For more information on how you can participate go to www.jointheimpact.com 

Remember, God is not concerned with who we love but how we love. No one's love is greater than another.

Wishing you well,

Azariah Southworth