More Human. More Kind. | Parenting LGBTQ Kids, Unlearning Fear, Becoming More Human
30 May 2025 · 4 min
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Heather Hester reflects on how to support LGBTQ people and other marginalized groups through small acts of love: speaking up, creating safe spaces, and practicing grounded hope. She urges listeners to "mother the world" by staying engaged without burning out, even as book bans and anti-LGBTQ policies threaten communities.
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Hi friend, this is More Human, More Kind. Welcome to the final episode in our Friday Reflection series on mothering. Today we look outward. We explore what it means to mother the world, to care for the collective with fierce love and grounded hope. This is for you if you feel the weight of injustice, and still choose to show up with compassion. This is for the tender-hearted warrior, the one who is fearful of growing authoritarianism, book bans, and anti-LGBTQ policies. The beautiful soul who is grieving the unraveling of American ideals like democracy, dignity, and truth. And the one who is frozen at times by the emotional weight of hate, bigotry, and systemic erosion, and who is still hopeful because doing nothing is not an option. To mother the world means to see humanity in others and act from love instead of fear. It means speaking up for those who can't, Protecting what is sacred. Creating spaces where people feel seen, safe, and valued. Living in alignment with your values. Being part of a movement that is for something better, not just against injustice. It doesn't mean fixing everything. It means tending and nurturing with purpose and presence. This year has been one of deep reckoning: politically, socially, and spiritually. I've felt the grief, the urgency, the fire, and I've asked myself over and over, "What is mine to do?" For me, mothering the world looks like using my voice, creating spaces for honest conversation, Choosing love even when it would be easier to shut down. It also means knowing when to rest, when to listen, and when to pass the mic. The world doesn't need more martyrs. It needs more nurturers. People who say, "I will show up. I will protect what's good. I will build." what's next. You don't have to do everything. You just have to do something from a place of love or kindness or curiosity or all three. That's how we mother the collective. That's how we rebuild. Take a moment and ask yourself, what breaks your heart open right now? What is one small, kind, or brave thing you can do in response? How can you mother the world without abandoning yourself? Let your love be specific. Let it be rooted and grounded. And let it be enough. Thank you for journeying with me this month. Let this episode and this series be an invitation to continue to mother yourself, each other, and the world with courage, curiosity, and compassion. The world will be better because of it. Until next time, remember: you are not alone.
