Page 61 of Everywhere You Look

Luke Cannon: That is correct.

Ms. Mason: And Gigi was eighteen?

Luke Cannon: Yes.

Ms. Mason: Did you leave with her willingly?

Luke Cannon: I did. Gigi had been saving what little money she was able to squirrel away over the years to buy us a couple of bus tickets and a few months rent. It was something we’d been planning for a long time.

Ms. Mason: Why were the two of you set on leaving your childhood home?

Luke Cannon: Because…

Ms. Mason: It’s okay, Luke. Take your time.

Luke Cannon: Our parents were abusive. Joseph believes in corporal punishment. He believes that his God deemed him the head of our household and that meant it was his responsibility to beat the sin out of my sister and me. We were frequently hit, kicked, and punched for what he saw as our transgressions.

Ms. Mason: That is horrible. What about your mother? Did she ever try to stop your father from hurting you and your sister?

Luke Cannon: No. Rebecca never laid a hand on us herself, but she is not without fault. She bore witness to most of the beatings, and afterward, she would remind us that what had happened was God’s will, and if we’d only stop being little sinners, Joseph wouldn’t have to punish us.

Ms. Mason: What do you think those supposed sins were?

Luke Cannon: Any kind of misbehaving, Joseph would call a sin. But the big one…he believed that Gigi was a sinner at her core, and I’m sure he would say the same of me now.

Ms. Mason: Why would a father believe his children are inherently bad?

Luke Cannon: My sister was a lesbian, and I’m gay. My father’s church believes that homosexuality is a sin of the highest order. I’ve listened to countless sermons where he has called for the mass round-up and execution of queer people. My parents didn’t know about my sexuality when I was young, but they suspected my sister’s. The worst beating I ever received was a punishment for Gigi when my mother caught her getting physically close with another young girl from school. Joseph beat me bloody that night, and he forced Gigi to watch. I wish I could say that was the only time, but it was only one of the last. Six months later, Gigi brought me to California.

Ms. Mason: I’m so sorry that happened to you. I couldn’t imagine willingly inflicting pain onto my children like that.

Luke Cannon: Neither can I.

Ms. Mason: So is it safe to assume that you don’t believe in corporal punishment for your nieces?

Luke Cannon: Absolutely not. I’d take my own life before I laid a hand on one of my girls.

Ms. Mason:And what if Lemmie, Mellie, or Ollie were to tell you one day that their sexual preferences or gender identity didn’t align with what you see for them? If they were to come out as trans or gay or asexual?

Luke Cannon: What I see for my kids is a life of happiness. A life full of love and light. Regardless of who they find attractive, what kind of relationships they want to have or whether their gender identity matches their assigned sex at birth, none of that matters to me. I want them to be who they’re going to be and love who they’re going to love, because they deserve every bit of happiness. Lemmie, Mellie and Ollie were my sister’s entire world. They’re my entire world.

Ms. Masom: Do you think that Joseph and Rebecca feel the same way? Do you think, if they were to secure custody today, that the children would be safe to…as you say…be who they are and love who they love?

Luke Cannon: Absolutely not. I don’t think my kids would be safe with Joseph and Rebecca whatsoever.

Ms. Mason:Dean McKenna, you and I go way back, don’t we?

Dean McKenna: Well, our families do, anyway.

Ms. Mason: For those of you who don’t know, my father, Leonard S. Mason, represented Dean’s fathers in the court of family law in Fox Hole, Tennessee about thirty-six years ago.

Dean McKenna: That’s right. My sister and I were born via surrogate, our Tía Camila, and your dad helped our dads with the legality of becoming a family.

Ms. Masom: It was groundbreaking stuff back then. I remember my dad had a hard time hiding his excitement. He’s a lifelong Knoxville Crushers fan, so representing Jay McKenna was a dream job.

Dean McKenna: We’re grateful to him. It’s strange to think that just a short time ago, it was so damn difficult for two men in love to have a legal right to their children. But I guess that's why we’re here today, too.

Ms. Mason: I’d like to ask you more about your family, if that’s okay.

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