"Are I the guardian of my brother?" (Gn 4,10). And what would you answer?

Reflections taken from the website of Kairos group, LGBT+ Christians from Florence

"Are I the guardian of my brother?" (Genesis 4,10). When Cain answers God with this question, he is really not looking for an answer. He is fleeing, he is trying to shake off all responsibility.

He does not want to admit his failure, he does not want to recognize his fault. But God does not accept his indifference: "The voice of your brother's blood shouts to me from the earth!" (Genesis 4,10).

And Abele's blood continues to shout today. He shouts in broken lives, in people who are crushed by contempt, in the pain of those who are put on the margins.

Today that cry is the cry of the transgender people who are vilipese, of those who are deleted with indifference, of those who see themselves denying dignity and rights as if they were a favor to grant. It is the cry of those who are bullied in schools, in families, even in churches. And too often that cry encounters silence.

We Christians LGBT+ we know the margin. We lived in it, we felt excluded, judged, pushed on the borders of society and of the same faith. We know what it means to live with the fear of not being accepted, not to be seen for what we are.

And for this reason, our answer to that question of Cain cannot be indifference. Yes, we are custodians of our brothers and sisters. Because we know what it means to be left alone. And because the Gospel asks us not to turn our gaze.

Networking is not an option, it's a necessity. It means creating safe spaces, tending their hand to those who feel alone, give voice to those who are reduced to silence. It means saying, strongly, that the life of LGBT+people, the life of transgender people is sacred and inviolable.

It means refusing decisively the idea that rights are a concession, because "God does not make people preferences" (acts 10:34) and human dignity is not negotiable.

We cannot allow violence and hatred to become the norm. We cannot keep silent in the face of injustice. We cannot pretend not to see.

Christ showed us the way: to stay on the side of the last, embrace those who are refused, break the bread with those who exclude the world. What about us? Are we willing to do it? Are we willing to be witnesses of a love that does not exclude anyone?

This is the choice that is placed in front of us. We can no longer hide behind apologies, we can no longer limit ourselves to hope for a change that comes from above. The time to act is now.

And what do you choose will you do? It's up to you to decide.