Question & Answer

 
Q: By A Reader
 
The news and social media are full of the wonderful contributions of people of color, gays and trans.  Why do you think so many individuals still hold prejudiced views about people who are different from them? 
 
A: By Rev. Brandan Robertson
 
Dear Reader,

This is a wonderful question. The truth is that while LGBTQ+ and POC representation has dramatically increased in media over the last decade, there are still many places across the U.S. and around the world where LGBTQ+ people are severely underrepresented, and many people still believe that they don’t know an LGBTQ+ person and may have very few interactions with people of color.

In these communities, fear, stereotypes, and religious bigotry still dictate how people think about LGBTQ+ people and communities of color. I have come to believe that the most powerful way to combat prejudice is through the power of proximity- only when these homogenous communities begin to see, hear the stories of, and get to know real queer people and people of color will they be challenged to change their perspectives- and for some communities, this may take quite a while to happen. In the meantime, allies in those kinds of communities have important work to do, speaking up against prejudice beliefs and offering an alternative way to think about LGBTQ+ people and people of color. Sometimes these challenging conversations can provoke people to begin exploring on their own beliefs, providing an opening for the journey of transformation. So yes, while representation is expanding, we still have a long way to go before true equality and justice prevail.

~ Rev. Brandan Robertson
 
About the Author
Rev. Brandan Robertson is a noted spiritual thought-leader, contemplative activist, and commentator, working at the intersections of spirituality, sexuality, and social renewal and the author of Nomad: A Spirituality For Travelling Light and writes regularly for Patheos, Beliefnet, and The Huffington Post. He has published countless articles in respected outlets such as TIME, NBC, The Washington Post, Religion News Service, and Dallas Morning News. As sought out commentator of faith, culture, and public life, he is a regular contributor to national media outlets and has been interviewed by outlets such as MSNBC, NPR, SiriusXM, TIME Magazine, Newsweek, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, and The Associated Press. He leads Metanoia, a digital spiritual community at MetanoiaCenter.org