Hello all,
Most of you have probably written me off by now, and that would be understandable. Although I am not working as an advocate for reforming sex offender laws any more, I am still interested in the cause and still occasionally keep tabs on what is going on.
Today, June 26, 2015, is a historic day, a day that will be remembered forevermore as the day that gay marriage became legal in all 50 states. This is definitely a landmark day, a day I wasn't sure we'd ever see come. But, alas, here it is. Love has finally won.
I think I heard that the gay rights movement has advocated for equality for 40 years. Think about that for a moment. 40 years is a very long time. Think about what it was like for gays 40 years ago. They were treated like scum, beaten, bullied and tortured and they faced incredible hardship just trying to live their daily lives.
Does that sound familiar? Is this the way sex offenders and their families are being treated today? Will it take 40 years for the sex offender laws to finally be changed? I sure the hell hope not, but if we can use the gay rights movement as an example, the reform sex offender laws movement will likely take a very long time.
It may seem hopeless. Just like the gay rights movement seemed hopeless for the last 40 years. But, perseverance pays off. If we never give up, if we keep trying, eventually things will get turned around.
Certainly it seems possible now, and my heart is still with you, and always will be.
I still feel bad that I had to hand over the reins to someone else, but I never really felt like "leader material" anyway, and as I said in previous posts, the stress of my advocacy work had become overwhelming for me and my family. I just needed a breather.
I also needed to find a way to get ahead on my family financial situation, which had become pretty dire when I last posted here. I was very worried about my husband's truck and how we would get a new vehicle when it finally died.
Then, a miracle happened. Last December, a new client with a new job fell into my lap. Just in time, too. We finally started to recover financially, and promptly went out to purchase a new (used) vehicle for my hubby, and we have been slowly wading out of the depths of our debt ever since. It's going to take time. We have a lot of things that need fixing around the house, too, things that have been neglected for far too long. But, at least there is a light at the end of the tunnel, and seeing that there is one is important.
Seeing the light at the end of the tunnel gives hope. Somewhere along the line, the LGBT movement began to see lights at the end of their tunnels and now look at the results of all their vision. I have hope that one day, we'll see lights at the end of the tunnel and see changes made to sex offender laws, something I still hope for and always will.
The RSOL conference is this weekend in Dallas, Texas. I wish I was there. I wish I could celebrate with everyone there. I am sure many there are excited about today's win. In some small way, a win for the LGBT community may eventually pave the way for a win for sex offenders and their families.
The important thing is never to give up, lose hope and never fail to see the light at the end of the tunnel. It's there, even if it is very faint and we have to squint to see it, it really is there.
I can see it. Can you?
Lynn
