The Gold Star Treatment

All day long

I see beautiful girls

I get asked sometimes

About the girls who come in

And I can’t talk about it

I really can’t

I mean, I can’t go into
Specific detail

But I’ll say that

They’re all beautiful

Every single one of them

And I, you know, boy

You’re going to get in trouble

Putting this all down

The way I’m going to say it

But go ahead

Do whatever you want to do

So what was I going to say?

Oh right

So to me

It’s a very religious thing

What we’re doing here

And I know that’s going to be

Really, uh—

I mean, some people

Are not going to want to hear that

But it’s how I feel, so—

It’s something about

How vulnerable

These girls are

When they come in here

Just very, uh—

Not wounded

I don’t want to say wounded

But—

Really scared, of course

Even the ones who don’t seem like they are

They are, trust me

And that’s okay

Because it’s a scary thing

This isn’t me commenting

On what I think about the actual procedure

On getting one, I mean

But it is a procedure

I mean, it’s not a complicated one

But it’s still—you know, you’re awake

When it happens

Do you want me to go into this?

I mean, do you want me—

How much do you want me to say,

I guess, is what I’m asking?

I’ll just talk about the girls

That’s all I really think is, uh

Important in terms of—

Well, anybody can look up the procedure

But the girls—

They come in here

And they’re scared

And that’s assuming they don’t get harassed

On the way in

Which is, I just think that’s awful

I really do

They come in here

And they’re in this

Very vulnerable state

Very nervous

Worried

Maybe they’ve been told things

About what happens here

That aren’t true

Maybe people have been unkind to them

Maybe somebody’s hurt them

Or they’re going to have to worry

About somebody hurting them

Once they leave here

You know, sometimes they tell you this stuff

But other times, you can just sort of sense it

That that’s what’s going on, you know?

And when I say it’s very religious for me

I just mean that to me

Religion is about helping the helpless

Or the weak

Or people who may not be weak or helpless

In their everyday lives

But who, you know, in this particular moment

Of their lives

Need somebody to show them some kindness

This is a real test for me

Working here

Because I’m good at my job

And there are a lot of places

I could work

But I choose to work here

And I’m okay with telling you

That I’m a Christian

I’m fine with saying that

Because I believe that what I’m doing here

Doesn’t go against that

It doesn’t conflict with that

And do I think these girls

Are committing a sin?

It’s not for me to say

What’s a sin
And what isn’t

It’s not for me—

Let me tell you how I was raised, okay?

Because a lot of people

A LOT of people

Were raised the way I was

And now they just wanna toss that aside

And have OPINIONS about things

But okay, without getting too worked up

Let me just say this—

I was raised

To mind my own business

And love everybody

And treat everybody

With respect

Now—

If you weren’t raised that way

That’s fine

But the church is what taught me all that

The church

So now I do what I do

And what I do

Requires me to, uh

To mind my own business

And show love and respect

To these girls

These beautiful women

Who are no less beautiful

Because of the choice they’re making

Maybe you can think it’s an ugly choice

Okay, that’s fine

That’s not what I would say

But that’s fine

If you think that

--Oh, I know you don’t

I’m saying, you know

Somebody might

And that’s okay

But I don’t think that way

I just look at the girls

I stay focused on them

Because they’re who I’m here for

They’re the ones

Who need to be made

To feel safe

And loved

And then sent back out into the world

Where so many people

Are going to have so much to say to them

And I can’t do anything about that

But while they’re here?

I’m going to treat them

Like the Queen of England

I’m going to treat them

Like they’re Miss America

And Mother Mary

Rolled up into one

The Gold Star Treatment

That’s what I give them

Because that’s the last thing

They expect

And it’s what they need

The most

They won’t ask for it

Because they don’t think they deserve it

But that’s what I give them

That’s what I’m there

To do