Thank you Rev Budde

“At the inaugural prayer service, the Right Rev. Mariann Budde, the Episcopal bishop of Washington, made a direct appeal to President Donald Trump to have mercy on the LGBTQ+ community and undocumented migrant workers.” – Associated Press reporter Darlene Superville

In response, Trump demanded an apology, “for embarrassing him by … deliver[ing] a rare rebuke to his face”. No apology was offered.

Subsequent fallout included conservatives criticising her and calling for her deportation.

Here is my response, sent to her by email:

Dear Reverend Budde,

I am writing from Australia to thank you for your recent appeal to President Trump to show kindness and compassion towards marginalised peoples.

I personally know people in Africa who have been accepted as genuine refugees for resettlement in the USA, and they have now been advised that their resettlement has been cancelled by President Trump.

In the darkness and despair of their current situation, your words have given them hope that there are kind and compassionate people with the courage to stand up for decency and humanity.

I also know LGBT+ people in the USA and elsewhere who are indeed scared, and I want to thank you for acknowledging this reality and challenging those in power to consider the human consequences of their attitudes and actions.

I am an atheist and I share your concern for social justice, compassion and human rights. We both admire the principles of the refugee who is the central character of your religion.

Thank you for speaking up for those who have no voice. Thank you for lighting a candle in the darkness.

Yours most respectfully,

Geoff Allshorn
Melbourne, AUSTRALIA.

©2025 Geoff Allshorn

Dreaming of a White Christmas?

Palestine then and now (artist unknown).

If Jesus had come to Australia, he would have been born a First Nations Aussie and, if lucky, he would have avoided his own Massacre of the Innocents as a member of the Stolen Generations.

If he was born in Palestine today, Israeli soldiers would have shot him in his cradle.

In Russia, he may have fallen victim to another Massacre of the Innocents by becoming cannon fodder in an egotistical politician’s war of self aggrandisement.

In Uganda, his family would have denounced his progressive declarations and the government would have sentenced him to death for advocating the human rights of LGBT+ people and other opppressed groups including women.

In the USA today, the MAGA cult would have declared him illegal for cross dressing in a galabaya; and deported him back to die, along with a million other black people.

Happy Christmas.

The lines of the old song declare:

“I’m dreaming of a white Christmas,
Just like the ones I used to know…”

That was a generation ago, before modern communication brought the world together. These days, we cannot be ignorant of the suffering of others across social media – unless we choose to.

These days, we see a clear divide between the western nations and others. Christmas in the west is often one of eating turkeys, ham, foodstuff and sweets, while exhanging gifts and excess. Christmas in most of the world is a time of deprivation, hunger, or ongoing suffering.

Any message of Christmas and deferral to the philosophies of that refugee from Nazareth, is lost in rabid consumerism and consumption and toxic capitalism. Santa is more important than peace on Earth. No room at the inn.

As I write this, I am mindful of the LGBT+ refugees I know across Africa. For Christmas, they are enduring the usual starvation, medical suffering, homelessness due to unpaid rent, detention due to outstanding medical expenses, or hungry children with no food. Seeking consolation in the very same faith that encourages their families and communities to reject or imprison them, they suffer on the one day of the year that possibly means the most to them.

Meanwhile, people in white nations enjoy excess, and overlook the suffering of others. Happy Xmas indeed.

The apartheid of Christmas emphasises the division during the rest of the year. White Christmas? Enjoy it if you are white and affluent.

But maybe ponder the suffering of others – and if humanity means anything to you, listen to your conscience and do something.

©2024 Geoff Allshorn

Unsung Heroes

Commemorating International Human Solidarity Day, 20 December

House after Cyclone Tracy, Christmas 1974. Photo by Bill Bradley on Wikipedia|cc-by-2.5

Our humanity sometimes most noticeably comes to the fore during times of crisis. This Christmas marks the significant anniversary of two such notable human tragedies – and their related stories of human resilience.

Fifty years ago this Christmas Day, a cyclone blew into Darwin and devastated the city, killing dozens and causing many millions of dollars damage. I can recall the Australian news mass media being full of stories of how ordinary Aussies with building or other skills gave up their holiday time in order to travel to Darwin and offer assistance to survivors whose stories – even fifty years later – recall resilience and heroism. Fundraising appeals were held across the country. Even a charity song, Santa Never Made It Into Darwin, contributed to the recovery and rebuilding cause, and as a child I pondered how this outpouring of selflessness seemed to contradict the capitalist spirit of amassing gifts and possessions courtesy of Santa and Christmas.

2004-tsunami.jpg: David Rydevik (email: david.rydevik at gmail dot com), Stockholm, Sweden. derivative work: Wilfredor, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Twenty years ago this Boxing Day, a much larger and literally Earth-tilting disaster occurred when an Asian earthquake and tsunami killed probably a quarter of a million people. News clips showing people being swept to their deaths amidst a floating city of debris can surely never be forgotten. What else I recall from this time is the outpouring among ordinary people to donate money and compassion to those affected: the charity telephones which I helped to staff rang non-stop for days; and I even recall a young man standing in a bank queue ahead of me – upon being told that the money for his car loan had been approved – immediately donated the lot to the Asian Tsunami appeal, “because they need it a lot more than I do”.

At such times, humans can be inspired and inspiring: they can cast aside (at least temporarily) the norms of capitalist consumerism and greed and selfishness, but focus instead on helping others. This is surely not only the most humane option, but also the most rational: as a social creature, we instinctively recognise that we need each other if we are to survive as a species.

But it should not take a crisis for us to recognise our common humanity and our common need for empathy and kindness: every religion and philosophy recognises “The Golden Rule” in some form or another, and it simply calls us to act and live in ways that are consistent with our humanity and our humanism. It is even reflected in a certain life insurance advertisement.

What must surely be one of the world’s most famous advertisements (and my favourite advertisement of all time) has enjoyed over 120 million views on YouTube alone. It is an advertisement for life insurance, and it thereby subliminally asks its viewers to ponder what difference their mortal lives might make during whatever short time we inhabit this cosmic pebble. Titled “Unsung Hero”, the ad celebrates the rewards of a humble, empathic, life that is generous to a fault – and the impact that can ripple into the lives of others, including people, animals and plants. Coming from a land where Buddhism is the dominant philosophy, it echoes with secular humanism because it quietly, almost subversively celebrates the agency and commonality of our human connection.

Our lives should demonstrate this same connection.

©2024 Geoff Allshorn

United for Hope

United for Hope: The World AIDS Day Pledge

Today, we stand beneath the solemn sky,
To honour lives lost, and never let them die.
HIV/AIDS, a shadow we cannot ignore,
Still claiming lives, still knocking at the door.

To every soul, regardless of name,
This is a fight we all must claim.
Keep off the networks where danger may lie,
Protect your heart, your body—don’t let dreams die.

To my queer family, bold and true,
This battle is ours; we must see it through.
For too many loved ones, we’ve had to say goodbye,
Let’s stay vigilant, let’s not let hope die.

Let education be the shield we wield,
Knowledge a weapon, a formidable field.
Empower the youth with facts so clear,
To conquer ignorance, dispel the fear.

International voices, hear this call:
Lend your hand, for this fight affects us all.
To refugees, the displaced, those in war-torn lands,
Palestine, and beyond, let’s extend our hands.

To NGOs, with hearts so grand,
Support the vulnerable; let them stand.
Medication, care, and hope to renew,
For the LGBTIQ, and the broken too.

HIV/AIDS is real, a foe we all face,
Let’s combat it together, with love and grace.
On this World AIDS Day, let unity shine,
For a future of health, for a brighter design.

Composed by Joseph K (He/Him)

This blog ©2024 Geoff Allshorn. All rights hereby returned to the poet.