Tolerance — respecting human dignity — seems like a particularly timely topic. Is it that people are allowing religion to do more of their thinking for them? Has our educational system failed too? How can I continue to model tolerance for our son and do my part to help create a more inclusive society? When confronted with intolerant behavior, how does our family remain strong?
While organizations like pflag.org, hrc.org and itgetsbetter.org are fairly well known, the following are some sites I use as resources that provide outstanding information and/or support and do not come up in discussion as often.
finimpact.com : This article #LGBTQ: How to Support LGBTQ-Owned Small Businesses & Resources at Finimpact is a great resource for LGBTQ owners who need support, offering some of the best ways to support LGBTQ-owned businesses right now.
matthewshepard.org : We L O V E this organization and its outreach efforts, and we donate 1% of our sales to this non-profit so we may be a bit biased. The Matthew Shepard Foundation provides educational resources for schools to encourage greater acceptance of individuals different from ourselves and manages a website for youth to find programs and shelters that are welcoming regardless of gender identity or sexual orientation. Judy and Dennis Shepard also speak about bullying and hate crimes at schools, college campuses and organizations.
tolerance.org : Though focused on educators, this creation of the Southern Poverty Law Center has well written articles and an exhaustive list of resources covering a wide variety of topics. The one that caught my eye this past week: “Don’t Threaten My Religion” by Sara Wicht, discussing lessons educators can use to help students deal with content that may threaten individual belief systems.
whatmakesyourfamilystrong.org : Way to go Michigan! Created by the Strengthening Families Initiative, a part of the Early Childhood Investment Corporation, this is a great resource for straightforward and “readily consumable” information to share with friends, parents-to-be, and families with young kids. It outlines methods for promoting personal resilience and healthy family life behaviors.
When confronted with intolerant and sometimes aggressive behavior, I want our son to have learned to recognize the insecurity behind the action and have the skills and strength to handle the situation in a healthy way. We aren’t there yet, but we’re working hard. Now if we could get him to do his chores without being reminded…
