The Closet Professor

Only be careful, and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them fade from your heart as long as you live. Teach them to your children and to their children after them.

— Deuteronomy 4:9

Throughout Scripture, we are reminded of the importance of honoring those who came before us—our ancestors, mentors, and spiritual forebears. Their struggles, sacrifices, and faithfulness shape who we are today. For the LGBTQ+ community, this truth carries deep meaning. We stand on the shoulders of those who fought for dignity, justice, and inclusion—those who lived their truth despite discrimination, those who marched for equality, and those who created spaces of love and belonging. We honor them not just in memory, but in action—by continuing the work they started and ensuring that future generations inherit a world of greater love and acceptance. 

Many LGBTQ+ individuals have suffered and died due to systemic injustice, oppression, and neglect. The AIDS crisis took the lives of countless people while governments and religious institutions turned their backs. Sodomy laws criminalized love and sent people to prison simply for being who they were. Many were cast out of their families and churches, denied healthcare, and left to die in isolation. In Matthew 5:4, Jesus tells us, “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.” We must remember them—not as victims, but as beloved children of God, as warriors of love, as sacred souls who deserved so much more than what the world gave them. Their lives mattered, and their memory calls us to action.  

The LGBTQ+ rights we have today exist because of those who risked everything to fight for them. The activists who protested government inaction during the AIDS crisis, the individuals who defied sodomy laws, the countless people who lived openly in times of deep persecution—all of them paved the way for the progress we see today. Psalm 145:4 says, “One generation commends your works to another; they tell of your mighty acts.” Honoring them means carrying their torch forward. It means fighting against modern forms of discrimination, advocating for better healthcare, and ensuring that queer and trans youth grow up in a world where they are loved, safe, and valued. 

This week, the National Park Service made significant changes to the Stonewall National Monument’s website, removing references to transgender and queer individuals. The updated site now mentions only “LGB” communities, omitting the “T” and “Q” from the LGBTQ+ acronym. This action aligns with an executive order from our disgraceful current president, which mandates a strict binary definition of sex as male or female. The Stonewall National Monument commemorates the 1969 Stonewall Uprising, a pivotal event in LGBTQ+ history, significantly led by transgender women of color. The recent alterations have sparked widespread criticism, stating that erasing transgender history dishonors the community’s contributions to the LGBTQ+ rights movement and ignores the essential role transgender activists played in the fight for LGBTQ+ rights. 

Psalm 112:6 states, “The righteous will be remembered forever.” True honor is not just remembering—it’s living in a way that reflects the love, justice, and truth of those who paved the way. For LGBTQ+ Christians, this means embracing who God created us to be, showing love to others, and working to make our faith communities more inclusive. It also means demanding justice. The AIDS crisis taught us that silence equals death. Sodomy laws taught us that unjust policies must be challenged. Our faith teaches us that love must be louder than hate, and justice must be pursued with unshakable faith.  

We need to give thanks for those who have come before us—the LGBTQ+ pioneers, the activists, and the everyday heroes who fought for justice and dignity. We must remember those who were taken too soon by AIDS, by state violence, by unjust laws, and by a world that refused to see their worth. We should honor their legacy by living boldly, loving fully, and advocating for those who still face discrimination. Deuteronomy 4:7–9 says, “Only be careful, and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them fade from your heart as long as you live. Teach them to your children and to their children after them.” Let us not forget.