Okay, so why would ANYONE want to reach across this divide, opening up and hearing out THOSE people?
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard versions of this question – ironically, from both sides of this discussion!
In my years of dialogue work, I’ve been struck by the profound levels of resistance the possibility evokes. Recently, Phil Neisser and I wrote up Ten Reasons to Avoid Your Political Opposite in the Huffington Post – summarizing some of the many concerns we’ve heard about liberal-conservative dialogue efforts over the years. And in the case of LGBT/religious conservative dialogue, even more reasons show up.
For some people, the act of hearing out the other side somehow validates them – and justifies their position. To read more about these concerns and objections in detail, click here to read the full white paper.
As you’ll see in the report, not everyone thinks this idea is stupid – and maybe that includes you: Are you hungry for a more thoughtful and generous conversation about LGBT rights?
A subset of people are hungry – gungry for something better than the animosity and the back and forth. On a general level, Phil Neisser and I wrote up Ten Reasons to Spend Time with Your Political Opposite in the Huffington Post – summarizing some of the many benefits we’ve observed about liberal-conservative dialogue efforts over the years. As detailed in the white paper, there are many positives that can emerge from religious conservative-LGBT dialogue, in particular.
So what do YOU think…worth a shot?