The above picture was taken this past weekend in Mexico- in one of the 100 marches that took place across the country to defend “traditional families.” This (approximately) 12-year-old boy went and stood there against an entire cavalcade and personification of this Prop 8 version 2.0.

When the photographer asked him why he did that the boy replied “My uncle is gay, and I love him. I don’t like hate” right before his mother took him away because presumably, children standing in the middle of the street is dangerous, but standing in the middle of the street when it is full of homophobes is worse. Y’all. I can’t with this. I can’t.

So, in lieu of an actual article, here is a list of points because 3 years of this in the States and the slow simmer that has now come to a boil of the last 7 years here in Mexico is enough for me to sacrifice coherence a little. Things to note:

  • If every time another white dude from Utah gets made a General Authority you sort of Kanye shrug at it, then f*ck you for real. Gay marriage has been legal in Mexico since 2006- it is not available everywhere but in the places where LGBTQIA folks can get married, their marriage is recognized nationwide. Apparently Wikipedia usage is super hard if you are in a position of real instiitutional power in the church because the Mormon portion of this contingency (Catholics and Pentecosts and Jehovas Witness’ are part of this melting pot of homoantagonism) skipped reading this bit of basic knowledge that is *right there*. Seriously, nobody bothered to research it because last I knew Mormon folks are being told that the protests is, in large part against gay marriage (and LGBTQIA folks adopting children). This is some White American poop emoji coming to stirr the pot in here when no one cared about same sex marriage because it has been legal for clap a clap decade! clap. I see you Utah. Y’all Americans need to control your own.
  • This whole thing has done a real number on my sanity because I have come to the really sad and annoying realization that the church just recycles language. Was it Einstein who said that insanity is doing the same thing expecting different results? Congrats church, you have officially lost your marbles. The language being pronounced over the pulpit was so eerily similar that I dug through old blog entries (on my private blog/online journal) and on my actual writen journal and saw, verbatim these same arguments and words. I know these are mostly old folks with good translators but this religious senility is not my jam.
  • I am so, so, so thankful for social media. I mean, aside from the muck I have had to wade through this second round (and I am not even active on Facebook or Twitter or any of that currently) so many people posted pictures of themselves at that protest. And one day, in 50 years when the church attempts to re-write its involvement in this, I will have those pictures of President Piper, President Johnson and President De Hoyos going to the Mexican Senate to deliver signatures. #Bless the Mormon aspect of obssesive record keeping.
  • Y’all, why are we still touting that line of “one man one woman” for marriage when we don’t follow that theologically? Like, dudes can get sealed to 101 women if they want. We don’t believe that. That is sloppy.
  • The church has shared its ‘religious freedom’ argument with the Catholic church, and they are banding together to use it in this instance and good grief are they going to regret it. You see, Mexico is a very Catholic country- it is tradition for the president of this country to go pay his respects to the Virgin of Guadalupe on her day, December 12th, and there is also a tradition of the president going to mass after being sworn into office. Now, Catholics are not fond of Mormon temples, and they are really not fond of ceremonies done in there. Catholics (and really, no other believer of a Christian religion I have spoken to here) do not see Mormons as Christians. I know Utah is fond of having that victimhood wound rubbed real good, but they are giving one of their “best” arguments to someone who has way more institutional power in this country. They are coming with a spork to a gun fight. They are Taylor Swifting this to the Kim Kardashian of religion, who plays harder, goes rougher and has more experience and power in this. So when the Catholic church comes and puts a pole on the LDS churches back to climb on, nobody will laugh harder than my frazzled-because-I-have-been-hearing-this-for-a-decade ass. Trust that when this happens, the Stateside church will try and fight this American styles. And they will lose.
  • So, does the church ban children who have gay uncles or aunts from getting baptized until they are 18? Because that is photographic evidence of a 12 year old boy who braved some really scary crap for the love of his uncle. Not his mom or dad, but his uncle. LGBTQIA uncles and aunts and cousins and grand parents are a thing and while trying to culturally prevent the infuence of LGBTQIA folks by banning their parents is one thing, good luck in all these Latino countries where socializing is done community styles and where anyone and everyone your parents are close to is your tio, tia, primo et al. That insulation works in an American culture, where individualism is what it’s all about- not here, where your cousins are basically your siblings. Family socializing ftw!
  • I am taking a damn sabatical from church, because I have been listening to some version of this garbage for a decade, in two countries and two languages. I always consider myself #blessed because being bilingual means double memes, but now I have something to add to my cons list: double the bigotry on Sundays.
  • Sweet mercy, what other garbage is going to trickle down to us? Honestly, do tell because if it failed Stateside, the church in Utah will try to push it here, so, if you can’t control them, give us a heads up at least.
  • Because I have needed some serious Jesus in church for some time, I started counting how much he was mentioned in the church that bears his name. For the last month, I have only counted 5 instances in all 4 Sundays combined. For a church that is named after Jesus, that is some false advertising.
  • I really believe that people say volumes in what they fail to say. There is a protest coming up on Sept 15th, 5 days after the 100 protests across the country, except the protests on the 15th are to take President Peña Nieto out of office bc he is a corrupt asshole who invited Drumpf to Mexico and basically protected him and who has done several other atrocities that have affected millions of Mexican families. The church must hardcore need those government favors because guess how many whats app messages and groups I have been invited to about this protest? None.
  • Why do we keep using the word natural to defend this argument? For starters nothing else in nature gets married. Second off, the animal kingdom is full of sexual variations- seahorses and hyenas and dolphins come to mind. And lastly, there is nothing natural about the hair shades in half of the 15, as well as nothing natural in most of the women’s hair or foreheads, and we don’t take an issue bc there is nothing wrong with “un-natural”, stop selling me natural when you don’t even have it
  • If anyone knows of any formerly undocumented, deported, LGBTQIA Mexican folks who had had to heard this garbage for a second round, please send them my way so I can love on them. Any LGBTQIA Mormons really. The Mexican Alliance division could use your love y’all, so, it’d be nice to love on them considering, the out of control homophobic Mr. Bean like clusterf*ck coming down to us (no offense to Mr. Bean).

 

TL;DR: Control your people Americans, someone teach Elder Oaks how to use Wikipedia, give us a heads up about the garbage you are about to “bless” us with, I am taking a church sabbatical (thanks Jana Riess!), are we banning children with LGBTQIA uncles, aunts and cousins?, why don’t we talk about Jesus at church, The Church recycles arguments, we still practice polygamy, wtf does natural mean, the church gives 0 craps about things that really affect Mexicans, the church is Taylor Swift [insert snake emoji here] to the Catholic church’s Kim Kardashian .

I have eaten way too many quesadillas these last two days and cried a bunch. And then I remember there are 12-year-old boys who stand against entire mobs in defense of their gay uncles, and I know that in the end, love really does win.

Azul is a binational (culturally) girl who currently resides in Merida, Mexico with her cat Chloe. Her work has been published in numerous other blogs, including Young Mormon Feminists, and she writes about re-assimilating , immigration and life in general over at www.happycosmopolite.wordpress.com. Her favorite Beatle is George Harrison and she hopes to someday be able to own a puppy.

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