Is Jodi Benson Homophobic?

[UmbrellaFish]

I saw that picture, too. I still remember feeling hurt reading the account of Jodi’s interaction with a gay fan all those years ago. But people change and should be allowed the grace to grow. This picture certainly made me smile.

[Disney Duster]

Oh, bruno_wbt, THANK YOU for that picture! I think it really does prove she's grown to accept gay love!

[Disney's Divinity]

That's sweet. Good for her.

[PatchofBlue]

It's a changing world. While there are still certainly actively antagonistic spaces, even more traditional circles are realizing that they have an obligation to learn how to peaceably coexist with people who are living different lifestyles, and I feel like there is unprecedented curiosity for how to do this.

I myself recently had the experience of addressing a local congregation in the church house describing from my own experiences and explaining how members can better minister to friends and family members who are gay, including those who choose not to live within the outlined policies of the church, and it was genuinely one of the most satisfying experiences of my life. I imagine there were some who were upset that I dared to bring such matters into the house of the Lord, but if they were there, they were polite enough to keep that all to themselves. Everyone who actually came up to me after the fact was "so grateful that you were brave enough to share your story."

Anyways, I've literally never thought that Jodi was one of "the bad ones" and have kind of always wondered if the internet whirlpool didn't somehow exaggerate her attitude, intentionally or otherwise. Like, she was a Broadway actress during the height of the AIDS crisis. Even outside of Ashman, she would have been exposed to the gay community and seen how they were subjugated.

[Disney Duster]

Bravo for doing that in a church, PatchofBlue! How brave and kind!