Homosexuality was a crime in the USA until 2003 and was considered a mental illness by the American Psychiatric Association between 1952 and 1973. The United Kingdom didn’t completely decriminalize homosexuality until 2013, and in some countries, homosexuality is still punishable by death. As outrageous as these facts are, we are still remiss in our social acceptance of members of the LGBTQ+ community and in accepting them within all religious communities. This is part of a larger problem that we have worldwide of intolerance of those who don’t fit limiting gender and sexual roles. There was a wonderful book and record that was popular when my children were young called, Free to Be You and Me. It helped us think beyond current social expectations and see that each of us is unique with the right to fully manifest who we truly are without being afraid of the judgment of others. It wasn’t until Gus was on my show a few years ago, that he helped me realize that I could be aggressive when the situation required it. By then, I was in my 70’s and just learning that a woman was allowed to be aggressive. It was up to me to decide when I needed to be aggressive and not up to society to dictate what a woman could and couldn’t do. I bought Free to Be You and Me for my grandchildren because we still need to learn the lessons taught in that book. Please join us Thursday when Dr. Gus Kaufman will talk with us about how we can create a world where everyone is free to be their unique self.
view more