My latest newsletter piece:

"Rearing Back, Keepin' On, and Having Faith"

We've had a rough month—the state Supreme Court invalidating our marriage licenses, my home state of Missouri choosing discrimination over equality, a newly-acknowledged Gay governor resigning amid scandal, being vehemently attacked and degraded in the U.S. House and Senate, and did I mention the marriage license loss? And, well, we better brace for some other possible state losses around the country in the coming months as several conservative states vote to constitutionally amend our rights away.

Yes, this has been a rough month. Another one in the many rough months we’ve had many times over the years. So what do we do with these disappointments? And how do we deal with loss?

First, a loss is never the end. It is a reminder of what’s at stake, and a beginning of the next go-round. For there is always a next go-round. Justice is never finalized, nor certain, but always possible. Paraphrasing Jefferson, justice and liberty require constant vigilance and continued hope.

Secondly, we, of all people, know how to deal with disappointment. We’ve seen discrimination and hate first hand. Each of us and all of us, the same, we know it well. We’ve known the hurt of friends turning their backs. We’ve known the abandonment by our families. We’ve known the pain of our partners being torn away from us due to laws, society, prejudice, inequalities, shame. We’ve known the maltreatment of others. We’ve been beaten and bashed and burned and bombarded and battered and bullied, from childhood through adulthood. We’ve known early death.

We know how to deal with disappointment because we’ve had to do so in order to survive. It’s not easy and it sucks, but we keep on keepin’ on. And we do keep on keepin’ on because we have also known the power of inner strength that comes from after the hurt. We’ve known the wisdom and courage that forms following a storm.

And that’s what we must take from these political and social setbacks. These are disappointments and losses, indeed. But we know in our hearts that we have the ability to handle them squarely, and that they only strengthen us in our souls. And with that knowledge, we can withstand the setbacks of this month, the future setbacks that will occur, as there will always be setbacks, and continue on to the future holding strongly to that eternal dream.

Thirdly, and as awkward as it may sound, we are a people of faith. We are a people of faith because we have been through hell and we have pulled ourselves out. We believe in the future. We live our every day fulfilling the next page in our tome towards a haven of equality and betterment. We are a people of faith who forge our own sense of serenity full of eternal hope for better days.

We, of all people, are a people of faith. And that is how we know to keep on keepin’ on.

I end with this quote from President Clinton, which has always been a favorite of mine. He spoke it just after the Democratic losses in 2002. Read it with faith, read it with hope, read it with a smile for the possibilities of tomorrow:

“Martin Luther King said the arc of history is long, but it bends toward justice. The people who want to be the benders toward justice have the harder burden… So we lost a couple of elections. Big deal. Compared to the sacrifices others have made to be agents of constructive change, so what? So I say, take a deep breath. Decide what you believe. Rear back and go on.”