Covidentity

 "We are not trying to prove ourselves to you again. But we are telling you about ourselves. We are giving you reasons to be proud of us. Then you will have an answer for those who are proud about what can be seen. They don't care about what is in a person's heart." ~ 2 Corinthians 5:12 

    Recently, my parents and I were talking with a couple we hadn't seen for a while, and as it often has recently, the subject of vaccination came up. We told them that we haven't yet gotten the vaccine, and have no immediate plans to do so. We even explained the reason for our hesitancy after they asked. This was enough to satisfy the husband, but clearly not the wife. She parroted the oft-quoted line of how safe and effective the vaccine is, even though she was not acting as if it was. Even after the topic was changed, she continued to shoot us disdainful looks that indicated that us being unvaccinated was all she saw.

    In my previous post Covidolatry, I mentioned that restrictions are changing so that those who are vaccinated no longer have to wear masks and socially distance, but unvaccinated people still have to do both, thereby singling them out. I have noticed, however, that there are a few people who are fully vaccinated and still wear masks, so if I wore one, I wouldn't stick out quite so much. However, I do still see that distinction as discriminatory, and so I don't wear one. I don't want to be labeled as unvaccinated because so many people are acting as if that is the only important aspect of anyone.

    There is so much more to me than just my vaccination status. I'm smart, funny, and incredibly good with a crochet hook. I love reading, watching movies, and singing along to Christian music on the radio. I've got a great family, work at a wonderful school, and have good friends who make me laugh. More importantly, I am a beloved child of God, who loved me enough that He sent His Son to die for my sins. Without Him in my life, I'd be less than simply unvaccinated.

    The same is true of everyone. We are each so much more than any one aspect of our features or personality. So much work has been done towards not judging others based on their skin color, sexual orientation, or heritage. Yet, there are those who would fight for those groups but are okay with seeing people differently just because they aren't vaccinated. Discrimination against a group of people for any reason is wrong, even if you disagree with them. 

    This distinction is now starting to take an insidious turn. Make a Wish recently announced that they will once again grant wishes involving air travel and large gatherings. However, there is a catch, and that catch is that everyone in the family, including the wish kid, must be fully vaccinated for at least two weeks before the wish can be granted. They are willing to work with families to either choose another wish or delay the wish in cases where the child is not expected to die soon. Additionally, they have a process for when the child is facing the end of their life to grant the wish no matter what the family's vaccination status is, but if they have a process for some, they should have a process for all. The one silver lining to all of this is that they aren't requiring proof of vaccination, just asking the parents to sign a paper, which many parents would do for their child even if it wasn't true.

    Fortunately for me, most of the people who know I'm not vaccinated don't seem to see me any differently because of it. In fact, both the woman I mentioned earlier in this post and the one I mentioned in Covidolatry who tried to scare me into getting the vaccine have since gone back to treating me as the person I always have been. I pray that as more people find out, they will act the same way these women are. I'm still the big-hearted woman I've always been, I just happen to not be vaccinated yet.