I Brought It Home! Presentation In My Hometown

I'm a little behind on this post, so I apologize, I have been too busy with midterms and figuring out where the heck I'm transferring to in the fall. But amidst the craziness in my academic schedule, I have found time to actually continue bringing about messages of truth, love, and inclusion to areas that don't always get word of that. I am referring to my recent presentation I made at Merced College (in my hometown) last week.

The day before the presentation and film screening, there was an article in our local newspaper, the Merced Sun-Star, that discussed the film briefly, but also focused on the different events Vince and I have been a part of including the Equality Ride and beyond.

Documentary illustrates deep-rooted homophobia. Putting a human face on homosexuality, religion and marriage is easier said than done. Vince Pancucci, 21, and Vincent Cervantes, 20, can speak to that statement. And they will -- in depth Thursday evening at Merced College's film night. Read article.

A year ago, the Sun-Star did a feature article on us and the Equality Ride. The article that was written in 2007 received lots of criticism and harsh Letters to the Editor. This year, surprisingly enough, there was a lot affirmation coming out of the article from people in the community. Granted yes, that were comments that suggested that reparative therapy is the only solution to homosexuality and that we should be ashamed. I cordially responded with my experiences with "ex-gay" therapy and how these programs tend to do more harm than good. I even made reference to the article written by Peterson Toscano, where he outlined the different ways that conversion therapies do harm. After the article and presentation, Letters to the Editor rolled in to share their belief that homosexuality is wrong and not in God's created intent for humankind. None of which I have replied to.

The night of the presentation could be summed up in one word: amazing. The film, "Tying The Knot," was great. The dates, events, and court cases are outdated now, but the film gave a good look into the struggles that same-gender couples have to encounter on a day-to-day basis. Vince and I gave our presentation after the film. We discussed our "ex-gay" experiences (why we chose to do it and the harm that it caused), our coming out experience at Azusa Pacific University, and our experiences in activism (Equality Ride, Right to Serve, "ex-gay" survivor movements, etc.). We kept our presentation short and concise with the intention of allotting a good amount of time for Q&A. Which was the best part. I was impressed with the questions that were asked. The questions ranged from why we compare the gay rights movement to the civil rights movement; to the scriptures; to what we hope government will do; and so many more.

After the event ended, many stayed around to just converse with Vince and I. I was overwhelmed with joy and happiness by the number of married same-gender couples that came up to introduce themselves to us. I would have never known that there were queer families in Merced. It was shocking. I also met with several retired pastors in the area who at one point used to preach that homosexuality was sinful, but have recently come to new understandings about what the Bible really says about homosexuality. One of them will start blogging soon about his new understandings.

All in all, I was surprised and really, really happy with the outcome of the event and how everything came about. I am keeping in contact with many of the people I met, so that together we can build up the LGBTQ community here in Merced. It was a blessing. Thank you all for your prayers on this!