Queer Visalia

Dr. Steven Palmer, of Visalia, California, shared this post on his Facebook today:

Long before I began my intimate relationship with the LGBTQ community, before my son came out as gay, when my two kids were small children, I took my boys to see a Broadway Show in NYC while their mother did something else with a friend. The show, written by Steven Sondheim was “Into the Woods” Its a retelling of classic Fairy Tales but with unexpected outcomes showing that sometimes there is no “Happily Ever After” after all. That show has been haunting me for days. Specifically one song, “Children Will Listen” The words I keep hearing over and over in my head are

How do you say to your child in the night?
Nothing’s all black, but then nothing’s all white.
How do you say it will all be all right
When you know that it might not be true?
What do you do?

Careful the things you say
Children will listen
Careful the things you do
Children will see and learn
Children may not obey, but children will listen
Children will look to you for which way to turn
To learn what to be
Careful before you say “Listen to me”
Children will listen

The death of a young man, barley more than a child, this week past makes me acutely aware that children will indeed listen. They listen to messages of hate and messages which set them apart as being different, damaged, or sick. These messages are delivered by people who ostensibly love them, and yet, they hurt deeply. These messages are given to impressionable youth on both side of the spectrum, however: the ones who will be ostracized and those who will ostracize. It is time for all of us to look deeply into ourselves and filter messages that can harm. Because, children will listen and we want them to hear the right message, not the wrong one.

Reprinted with permission.