Sarah Milem - Performing Commitment

The issue of gay and lesbian rights is an issue that has been a hot topic for quite some time now.  For me personally I still do not know how I feel.  I was raised in a Lutheran church and still carry those values and beliefs very heavily in my life and my everyday actions.  And while I was taught that gay and lesbians should not have rights there is a part of me that believes they should.  Our country was found on the notion of separation of church and state.  And if the only reason that politicians and the government do not recognize gay and lesbian relationships based on the religious values I do not understand  how that is fair and legal.

I think this article took a lot of courage for this author to write.  And while I do not necessarily agree with every point she made I’m glad she did.  There are many stereotypes out there about gay and lesbian relationships and I feel this article gave an insight that most people do not normally get or have.

What made me sad when I read this article is even in a time in the authors life when she was happy and in love and wanted to celebrate that she still couldn’t invite two of the most important people in her life.  And while this was in the 1980’s I wonder if her parents still feel the same today.  As the daughter of a preacher the life the author is living more than likely goes against everything her father ever believed.  But I wonder if over time he has come to accept his daughter and who she is as a woman, wife, and mother.    

Discussion Questions:

Do your family have traditions that seem nontraditional to outsiders but are traditional to you?

What positives do you see that come from this reading?