Elizabeth Gilberts beautiful post below got me thinking about something that has been on my mind a lot lately. Last week a friend of mine told me a story about how she was once trying to buy an engagement ring for her then girlfriend. When she told the woman in the jewelry store that it was for her *girlfriend* the woman screamed at her to get the hell out of her store. Then out of nowhere, a man she didnt know came around the corner and just punched her in the face and split her lip. This is a YOUNG woman too- even younger when it happened. I have so many gay friends and am so lucky to live in such a liberal area, but like Liz Gilbert, I too forget how far we still have to go in order for things like this to not happen to such wonderful people. Unfortunately weve all heard horrific hate-crime stories, but to actually hear it straight from the mouth of someone who has experienced it really stuck with me, and heres why: The reason why i have so much love and respect for gay people is this- (stay with me here) we live in a culture where conformity rules. Yes, we have it much better than a lot of other cultures in the world, but still- CONFORM is the unwritten law of our society. People everywhere, everyday work so hard to hide who they are in order to fit in (and its usually the most beautiful parts of who they are that they hide, which means, if they are hiding the most beautiful parts of themselves, which parts are they showing?). Ive struggled a lot with being okay with Who I Am, exactly as I am. Ive been scared to come out with the truth of Who I Am, what I want, whats important to me, and how I want to live my life. Ive worried myself to sickness about what people would think of me if I just stopped being who everyone else wanted me to be and just started BEING Who I Truly Am. This is a constant challenge, a constant WORK in progress, and a constant BEAUTIFUL (and often uncomfortable) blossoming. Its hard enough coming out with our truths (even to ourselves) for those of us who identify as straight. But for gays- in a world where who they are is so socially unaccepted- to the point of violence, where their physical safety becomes compromised by being who they are, the challenge of living their truth is compounded immeasurably. And for those gay people who are out, despite the odds against them (I hate to put it in those terms, but for the sake of making my point I will)- MY GOD I bow down to them! They do what many, many, many people could never do. Theyve acknowledged their truth, and made the BRAVE action to come out with it, despite what other people think, despite the fact that there are many people that will absolutely (unfortunately) not accept who they are, despite the fact that their lives are potentially at stake! These are people we should be celebrating, not condemning! Damn right they deserve a parade! And yes, the most fabulous, outrageous, colorful, MERRY parade you could imagine! The level of respect I have for gay people is beyond words. And I surely hope people start opening their eyes more to the extraordinary courage these people have. And most importantly I hope that anyone reading this will take a good look at their own life and COME OUT with their own truth. What a beautiful way to honor the gay community, but also to HONOR YOURSELF! I will now stand down from my soapbox. xx~JRM #InspireUpliftShift
Posted on: Mon, 08 Sep 2014 21:30:54 +0000
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