# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
The Power of Words   A girl Changed a BLIND man Day Amazing

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
I'm a lesbian because, baby, I was born this way. (Sorry, it's stuck in my head now too.)

But I'm queer by choice. I'm queer because I believe that lesbian, gay, bi, trans, poly, and asexual people and everyone else has the right to identify in a way that feels authentic to them, and that no one should have to suffer a lack of inclusion because of that identity.

I know there are people who take issue with the word "queer." I've heard it all:

"It seems negative." It's only negative if we let the bad guys keep control of it.

"It seems old-school." It's only old-school if we don't take this chance to breathe new life into it.

"What does it really mean?" It means we're not straight and/or cisgender.

"It makes me sound weird." A word can't make you sound weird.

"My mom doesn't understand it." Explain it to her.

"I don't want to be associated with those people." You are those people. We are those people. We are all people.

That word has been used against us in the past. But you can't use a word against someone who already calls that word their own. So I claim it. I own. I use it, and I wear it. I am queer.

"Queer" is the most inclusive word that we have; "LGBT" leaves out some of our family. Sure, we could add more letters, but it's cumbersome as it is. Why not utilize a word that already exists and is used in pop culture, even in the most mainstream television programming, like Queer Eye for the Straight Guy?

We are becoming more and more integrated into the mainstream, and that's great, but we're still different -- not bad-different, not better-different, just good-different -- and we should acknowledge and celebrate those differences, those very things that make us, well, queer.

Words are the most powerful weapon we have. Guns and knives and bombs may be able to kill people, but only words can change people, and that's what I want. That's want I really want. I want to see change. I want to live in a world where everyone is queer.

Now, don't get all bent out of shape. I'm not talking about sexual orientation. I'm talking about the true meaning of the word, the things that really do make me queer and proud of it.

"Queer" means "out of the ordinary." It means "curious." It means "unexpected." It also means "weird." And I'm that too.

I'm weird because I follow my heart in a world that tells everyone to follow the band.

I'm weird because I speak the truth in a world that has a very bad habit of killing the messenger.

I'm weird because I let my brain decide in a world where too many people listen to some man who says, "Hallelujah, Amen, pass the plate, and pay up."

I'm weird because I choose to live authentically in a world that hates people for choosing happy.

I'm weird because I dictate how I live and love in a world where mass media has replaced the voice of intellect and reason.

Whom I love, whom I fuck, whom I call my family define who I am. And whom I love, whom I fuck, and whom I call my family are all too often reviled because of ignorance.

If ignorance is the new normal, I choose weird any day.

I choose queer every day.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
I'm a lesbian because, baby, I was born this way. (Sorry, it's stuck in my head now too.) But I'm queer by choice. I'm queer because I believe that lesbian, gay, bi, trans, poly, and asexual people and everyone else has the right to identify in a way that feels authentic to them, and that no one should have to suffer a lack of inclusion because of that identity.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
"In the beginning was the Word," according to the Bible. God's words created the universe; He spoke us into being. Words created our world - literally. Words have power - to uplift or to tear down - to inspire or to incite - to heal or to hurt - to create or destroy. Words define our reality - for better or for worse.

In the aftermath of the recent shooting at Planned Parenthood in Colorado Springs, it's time we examine the role of words in our politics and in our society. Those who defensively insist that their vicious verbal attacks on Planned Parenthood have nothing to do with a single gunman's massacre of innocent citizens are fooling themselves.

We all understand the power of words. Words shape our perception of the world; words trigger emotions; words wound; words have consequences. Those who write books and blogs understand the power of words; those who work in advertising and sales know the power of words; those in the media are savvy about the power of words; and political leaders know all-too-well the power of words.

Words call us to action: to buy things, to vote a certain way, to hate those who are different from us, to eat certain foods and wear specific brands of clothes ... and yes, to kill.

America was established by words - the Declaration of Independence. Our rights and responsibilities are secured by words - the Constitution. Words commemorate significant events in history - the Gettysburg Address. Words capture the hopes and dreams of a people - MLK's "I Have a Dream" speech. We memorize those words; we recite those words; we refer to those words; we call on those words to define who we are and what we stand for as a nation.

Those who pooh-pooh the lethal power of words are forgetting (or ignoring) the horrific results of deadly orators such as Hitler and Mussolini. History is replete with examples of political leaders who used their words to incite hatred, start wars, and lead their people to commit genocide.

Jesus was not the only spiritual leader who taught us the power of words. Five hundred years before Jesus was born, Buddha cautioned his followers:
"Be careful of your thoughts, for your thoughts become your words.
Be careful of your words, for your words become your actions.
Be careful of your actions, for your actions become your habits.
Be careful of your habits, for your habits become your character.
Be careful of your character, for your character becomes your destiny."
Buddha wasn't just talking about politicians and pundits - he was talking about all of us. One of Buddha's guidelines on the Eight-fold Path is the concept of Right Speech, the first principle of ethical conduct. Buddha pointed out that "words can break or save lives, make enemies or friends, start war or create peace. He explained the elements of right speech: (1) to abstain from false speech, especially not to tell deliberate lies and not to speak deceitfully, (2) to abstain from slanderous speech and not to use words maliciously against others, (3) to abstain from harsh words that offend or hurt others, and (4) to abstain from idle chatter that lacks purpose or depth."

Is Donald Trump guilty of verbal violence? Are Carly Fiorina, Ted Cruz, and Ben Carson guilty of contributing to a toxic political culture? Is Bill O'Reilly culpable for fanning the flames of hate? Does Rachel Maddow contribute to intolerance and anger with her commentary? Does John Oliver commit violence when he ridicules public figures? Jesus and Buddha would both tell us that looking for someone to blame for the Planned Parenthood massacre will not bring answers - or healing.

The real question we need to ask is: "How do my words contribute to violence in the world? In what ways do I participate in a social and political culture of intolerance, hate, and/or violence?" For as long as we point fingers of blame at one another, we fail to see our own culpability. "And why behold you the mote that is in your brother's eye, but consider not the beam that is in your own?" the Bible chastises us.

Every time we yell at someone who cuts us off in traffic, we are being verbally violent. Each time we call someone an "idiot" or "moron," we are guilty of wrong speech. If in exasperation we blurt out, "If you do that I'll kill you!" to our spouses, our words are an attack. When we lose our tempers and drop the F-bomb on someone who angers us, that F-bomb really is a bomb. It does damage. Idle threats are not idle - they are seeds we plant in our psychic and cultural soil - seeds that take root and later blossom into violent acts. We reap as we sow.

If we want more civil discourse, we must start with ourselves. If we want less violence in our country, we must stop committing violence with our words. Change doesn't start in Washington - it starts with each and every one of us, where we live and work. Gandhi taught us, "We must be the change we wish to see in the world." And the Christian hymn echoes: "Let there be peace on earth and let it begin with me."
BJ Gallagher is a sociologist and author of over 30 books, including "If God Is Your Co-Pilot, Switch Seats" (Hampton Roads).

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Do Words Kill? Is Political Rhetoric Inciting Christians to Violence?

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
"In the beginning was the Word," according to the Bible. God's words created the universe; He spoke us into being. Words created our world - literally. Words have power - to uplift or to tear down - to inspire or to incite - to heal or to hurt - to create or destroy.

# data[].attributes.body
"I have never had no wife that be so taken with books, and I thought to find the cause of it, d'y'see, but it were no witch I blamed her for. I have broke charity with the woman..."