For the LGBTQ+ Community
Oh God,
Creator of every living thing,
who made all of humankind in Your Divine image,
I cry out to You,
asking that You hear my voice,
rising up like smoke from the altar, impossible to ignore.
I’m scared God,
as the country I live in wraps itself in thorns,
hardening the borders of its heart,
letting distrust and hatred pierce those who only seek to live.
You gave us 613 commandments to hold and follow.
This year alone, there have been 616 anti-LGBTQ bills proposed in America.
All we want to do is live our lives authentically, as our fullest selves.
Paper shields, laws that should protect us,
crumble like decaying leaves.
Passports and social security,
Medications and surgeries,
Bathrooms and sports teams,
Limited and stripped away from us.
The world seems to sneer at us in disgust,
examining every inch of who we are.
Standing naked before eyes that judge,
we try to maintain our dignity and stand tall.
How long until our world is compressed into a box,
that is too tiny to hold a soul?
How long until we shrink away,
until we are nothing?
Oh Shekhinah, Oh Ruakh HaHayim,
Oh Compassionate God,
be kind towards the LGBTQ+ individuals of America,
a reflection of Your own image,
a reflection of the people who truly make America great.
Wrap us in a blanket of Your peace,
keeping us safe in this time of pain and fear.
Plant us, Oh God, like seeds,
and let us come to see the day where we will bloom,
where we will flourish,
displaying the beauty of Your creation, our existence,
with fullness and with joy.
You have carried our people through narrow places,
and I know You will carry us again.
You are the One who gathers the outcast,
the One who lifts the fallen,
the One who holds and sustains the marginalized peoples of the world.
Blessed are You,
who plants justice like cedars,
and who roots Your Divine radiance in all.
Blessed are we, the LGBTQ+ community,
holy vessels that allow your light to shine.
The statistic for 616 Anti-LGBTQ+ bills introduced comes from the ACLU
