In a beautiful and poignant video, Randy Roberts Potts, the grandson of vehemently anti-gay father of televangelism, Oral Roberts, tells us “It Gets Better.”
The televangelist also had a gay son, Potts’ uncle, who was gay and took his own life at the age of 30. Potts, a writer and teacher, married at 20 and had 3 children. At 30, he came out and divorced his wife.
His “It Gets Better” video comes in the way of a letter he’d written to his deceased gay uncle.
Talk About Equality 
This was extraordinary. Thank you. Exposing the hatred masquerading as faith is a crucial part of this ongoing struggle for Equality.
That was thought-provoking and courageous. It was one of the best of “It Gets Better” because it didn’t fail to show how empty and thoughtless the choice of suicide is. His Uncle Ronnie could have been such a trailblazer, but instead…nothing.
Randy Roberts Potts is also a great writer and poet… I loved his play with language.
This is a good story showing no matter how yopu are raised that you have choices you make for yourself. oral taught his family Christian values but his son and grandson made the choice to go another way. we all have that choioce
you are right.we all have freedom of choice. please remember that every choice has is consequences.God, creator of heavens and earth has given to us the free will to choose since the garden of eden. Choose LIFE ,God’s life and his ways;or DEATH, any other way and be damed. Please choose wisely.Man is more than flesh and blood. we live on after the body is buried. Choose Life (JESUS) and his ways and LIVE. Thank you
Is it hateful or cruel to tell those that don’t know that if they speed they will get a ticket, or if they kill they will end up in prison?
We act as if I repeat the Bible, it is hateful. If I say if you continue in sin you will go to hell. Some think that is hateful. I think it is an act of love. If I tell one of my little ones in a loud voice STOP before they run out in the street, is that considered hatred???? Foolishness. Say what you will, I love you and if you don’t change your ways and except Jesus Christ you will find your self in a lot worse place than this world could ever be. John 3:16
May God open the eye’s of your understanding and give you light where there is apparent darkness. Where there is confusion there is every evil work. Even suicide. James 3:16
In His amazing love,
Rick
Terrible language. Insulting
Terrible bad language.
He killed himself because he was a drug addict as well, why is that not mentioned?
Because the high drug and alcohol addiction rates among LGBT people is directly attributable to their status as second-class citizens and the oppression they face on a daily basis. This oppression most usually comes from families and religious affiliations which condemn people for being LGBT. When they feel they have no support or kindness in their lives, they turn to drugs and alcohol as a means of escape. Thus, the fact that he was gay (and society’s treatment of gay people) is what lead to his drug addiction and subsequently, his suicide.
ORAL’S SON FELT ALONE AND DESERTED AND HIS FATHER SHOULD HAVE SPIRITUALLY STOOD BY HIM——if u cannot take care of your own children then u have no right to take care of others and that is why u got so sidetracked on the greedy road of materialism–oral—-GOD SAID TO DO THIS—GOD SAID TO DO THAT—WERE U SURE—IT ALL FAILED???????U HAVE GOT TO LISTEN TO THE HOLY SPIRIT —AS IF U DIDN’T KNOW THAT—BUT TEST THE SPIRITS..IN THE NAME OF JESUS…AND ORAL I WATCHED U ALOT AND I THOUGHT U WERE GREAT….AND ITS WHEN U ARE DOING GOD’S WORK THAT U NEED A LOT OF SUPPORT AND PRAYERS FOR PROTECTION AND OBVIOUSLY U DID NOT HAVE ENOUGH—WELL NOW U KNOW BETTER AND U WILL COME AGAIN…..AND HOPEFULLY NEXT TIME U WILL BE BETTER ALERTED IN THE WILES OF THE DEVIL AND SUITS THAT LOOK GOOD $$$$ BUT IN WISDOM…UR BEST SUIT IS UR BIRTHDAY SUIT……U CAN’T TAKE NONE OF THE MATERIAL WITH U—-IT STAYS WITH THE MOTHER EARTH….
I knew your Uncle. I’m coming at my struggle from a different angle, which was to make sense of my Indian heritage by understanding my White, Anglo-Celtic, Protestant background.
Your uncle was brilliant, tortured, a real character. There is nothing political in this statement. It was in the seventies at Booker T. Washington High, one of the few voluntary integrated schools of that time all over the USA. He missed school quite a bit.
Thank you for your story. I’m straight. You’re gay.
We struggle with our issues and hopefully we’ll get to Truth, Peace, and Justice in this very colorful world.