I became aware of LOVELOUD a mere 2 weeks before this year’s festival. It started with the HBO documentary, BELIEVER on HBO. Dan Reynolds, lead singer of Imagine Dragons upon achieving fame found himself conflicted between his faith and the LDS church’s position on Gay Marriage, Marriage Equality and general oppression of gay people. But the linchpin for him was meeting families of LGBT youth who have taken their lives and looking at the undeniable facts around LGBT teen suicide; the number one killer of Utah’s kids is suicide according to new numbers from the Utah State Health Department. Utah’s youth ages 11 to 17 are dying by their own hands at three times the rate 10 years ago in 2007 – corresponding with the Church’s aggressive anti-gay efforts politically such as Proposition 8 and it’s cruel clones.
Of course this matters to me. Having spent the past 15 years recovering from toxic Christianity and, finally finding my own truth. I entirely relate to these kids and the quagmire they face in life.
The experiment of LOVELOUD: bringing the people of Utah (read: people of the LDS faith) and the LGBT community together under the agreeable banner of love first was touchy to say the least.
But a chord in my heart was struck and I decided a road trip was in order. I’d drive up there as fast as I could with camping gear on board and get some quality time in the mountains along the way up and back.
As I arrived at the stadium for the festival (Rice-Eccles at the University of Utah) I was immediately struck by the scale the event has grown to for it’s second year. Corporate sponsors finally brave enough to join in bringing the quality and presence of a world class event. The crowd was fascinating. Entire families withtheir kids. Guys and gals who, maybe this was the first time ever daring to go to something LGBT affirming. I was practically choked up at every kindness – a stray smile, holding the camera for a picture, random hug or profound word or bit of lyric I heard. 7 hours never flowed so gratefully for me.
I’m a bit surprised to be saying this: It was the first time, maybe ever, I let myself truly celebrate my life. In a crowd of strangers I somehow felt a massive kinship.
Perhaps the most moving moment of the night was in a surprise appearance when Tim Cook, CEO of Apple delivered this message:
I stand before you tonight as an uncle, a sports nut, a CEO, a lover of the beautiful Utah outdoors …and a proud, gay American. I come to deliver a simple message that I want every LGBT person to hear and to believe:
YOU ARE A GIFT TO THE WORLD.
A unique and special gift, just the way you are. Your life matters. My heart breaks when I see kids struggling to conform to a society or a family that doesn’t accept them. Struggling to be what someone else thinks is normal. Find your truth, speak your truth, live your truth.Let me tell you, “normal” just might be the worst word ever created. We are not all supposed to be the same, feel the same, or think the same. And there is nothing wrong with you.
I know that life can be dark and heavy, and sometimes might seem unreasonable and unbearable, but just as night turns to day, know that darkness is always followed by light. You will feel more comfortable in our own skin, attitudes will change. Life will get better and you will THRIVE.
— Tim Cook July 29th 2018, LOVELOUD
It’s taken me practically a lifetime to internalize the contents of this message, so eloquently delivered by Tim, and it was met with my own tears of kinship, gratefulness and a profound sense of belonging.
LOVELOUD aims to raise funds for 3 incredible non-profits working to save the lives of LGBT youth, The Trevor Project, Tegan and Sara Foundation, and Encircle.
And then he introduced Imagine Dragons, the final performance where every song choice seemed to matter and gave possibly the best concert performance I’ve seen.
We’re walking the wire, love.