Along with “family values,” the descriptor “family-friendly”
gets tossed around when considering something’s appropriateness. The recent
decision of my Alma mater, South Williamsport Area Junior/Senior High School to drop
its planned school musical was made, in part, out of concern that the musical
might not be “family-friendly.” One of these potentially non family-friendly
dimensions was the musical’s brief portrayal of a gay wedding (We seem to have no
qualms about the pervasive violence in “family-friendly”media, but that’s a
post for another day).
What astonishes me in all the media attention that this
situation has already received is how love can be perceived as threatening and unfriendly to families. In 2010, my children attended their first wedding, the
wedding of a pastor to a musician. Our kids were ages 2 and 4, hence they didn’t
really “get” the whole thing, but our family had no qualms about supporting
this gay couple in their commitment to one another before God and those
gathered to pray, sing, and share Holy Communion. We are so proud to call them
friends of our family.
We have other friends, a lesbian couple, who have been such
lights in our lives, remembering our children on their birthdays, sending
children’s books and Christmas gifts. When we lived in rural Minnesota, these
friends made the long trek to visit us in our home. They are friends to our
family and we are so blessed.
I could go on, of course, about those many gay and lesbian friends
who have enriched our family’s life, but the point is clear enough: Their love
for each other causes no offense to us. It is nothing to fear but cause for celebration.
I hope and pray that South Williamsport’s schools can be
motivated not by fear but by love for their neighbors, especially those
families they’d rather not befriend.
