#4 Hannah Pauley

What does it take for an image to affect a community? Is it a burning building, a few figures strewn across the streets of a devastated city? Do people need to see the entire populace of a third world country eat hot meals to be uplifted? Though such tales of tragedies and miracles are particularly moving, significance doesn't stop where miracles and tragedies do.

It's not uncommon for me to receive a random image, caption in all CAPS from one of my friends. Usually it's something silly--pictures of cute animals, screen-shots of text conversations, hilarious personal videos--and nothing of significant weight. One time, though, I received this in a group message:

My friend’s caption read “THE NEW POPE IS COOL WITH THE GAYS!” I remember smiling a little bit.

          I’m not gay, and my gay friends aren't Catholic, but this image, spread all over the internet must have brought a smile to everyone in the gay community and its supporters (it certainly blew up my phone with replies). It’s not so much the event as the symbolic message of it: the fact that a huge religious and political influence would take a bold stand on a subject of such controversy is surprising—and for the people he’s acknowledging, it’s uplifting. The pope, put in office to lead a religion that has been known to condemn homosexuals, says, “I ain’t gonna judge.” It’s a message that, noting the source (it’s not a young, rebellious liberal), shows a significant shift in social beliefs and behaviors around the globe towards a group which has only begun to be accepted here in America. Of course, many churches will continue to disagree, and oppression of homosexuals worldwide has not disappeared, but this image, one of irony in its best form, is one that gives a great sense of security and triumph to an emerging part of society. And, after witnessing two very close friends "come out," it’s even comforting for me to know that perhaps our attitudes and social standards are making a meaningful and permanent shift.