This post is a few months old. But today (July 23) a friend had an interesting encounter at the Post Office in Meridian, Idaho.

Here was there interaction, as she reported it on Facebook:

Could I please get some stamps?
“Yes, which ones would you like?”
Do you have any Harvey Milk stamps?
“Yes, but would you rather have these beautiful hearts or white roses?”
No thank you, Harvey Milk please.
“Are you sure?”
Yes. Thank you.
**long silence as she shuffles through a drawer full of different kinds of stamps**
“……Do you know who he was?”
Yes, I sure do.
**awkward silence for the rest of the transaction**

This is not okay. I would not expect the woman to encourage people to buy the Harvey Milk stamp if she were not a fan of his (or any particular stamp, for that matter). But to actively discourage people from purchasing them.

Not okay.

So, here’s the original post:

Some Christians are calling for a boycott of the Harvey Milk postage stamp. It’s quite absurd, really. They say if you receive a piece of mail with that stamp, you should return it to the post office.

I first read about it here.

Even if homophobia were a core, important component of Christian life and doctrine (which it is not), how in the world would boycotting a postage stamp share Christ’s love and mercy with the world?

I generally ignore Focus on the Family and the American Family Association, two prominent spewers of “Christian” bigotry.

I wonder, though, if we could send them another message? Could we challenge them on this boycott in a non-violent way that is in accord with what we believe about God’s love and grace?

And I wondered, would they really return mail, even if it might possibly contain a donation to their ‘ministry’?

So, let’s send them mail, using the Harvey Milk stamps.

On the outside, I think they should look like a regular envelope, one that might possibly contain a check.

On the inside, let’s send them messages of love, grace, inclusion, and mercy. They’ve clearly got the judgment piece figured out. It’s the love and grace it seems they need to hear about.

If you want to include a check–for the amount of 50 cents or something–then we could see if they actually opened your mail and cashed the check. How seriously do they intend to support this “boycott” of receiving mail with a stamp they didn’t choose?

If they do, indeed, return your letter, or cash your 50 cent check, post a picture of it here. You can also post it on Facebook or Twitter with the hashtag #MilkStampLove.

Their address is:
American Family Association
P O Drawer 2440
Tupelo, MS 38803

Share this with your friends and family. Let’s send them some love. They clearly need it.