But, this Monday, no coffee spills, both socks and underpants, and a fancy lady blazer to boot! And, I have my morning to sit and think, which often leads to writing.
I started brainstorming this bad boy on Saturday morning at 6:30 a.m. The opening several paragraphs were apologetic about not writing. Here is a short version. I haven't written here because I have been working on my poetry. And, many people get a squicky feeling about poetry, so I don't often share it. But, I am gonna start because four months is an insane amount of time between posts.
Now that that is out of the way, let's get down to the brass tacks. On Friday night at 23:09, I received a text message with an article about SCOTUS' legalisation of same-sex marriage. Like the Millennial I am, I immediately checked facebook to verify. It was the queerest thing I have ever seen on social media. It took a moment for all of this to sink in. Of course, my future wedding will be a spectacle, but that isn't really the most important part for me. The most important part is knowing that my future family will be federally recognised in all 50 states. I can visit my future partner in the hospital; she can visit me. Either or both parent(s) can take our future child to the ER when ze breaks hir arm climbing trees and/or stairs. Queer families will become "normal" not the token.
Now, I know there is obviously backlash from many angles, not to mention Wisconsin governor Scott Walker being a huge tool box. Most of the opposition is coming from conservative religious views, stating that marriage should be between a man an woman. I respect a church saying that they would not like to perform same-sex marriages because it goes against their religious beliefs. But, I would like to remind the church that religion and government are two separate entities. And, what affects one does not affect the other. I am proud to be a part of church who has an open and affirming stance on sexuality. So, there is that.
Now, let's talk about this weekend! On Saturday morning, I arrived at an Ultimate tournament in the middle of East Jesus Nowhere (but VERY beautiful) Korea. And, the overwhelming love and support I felt from my friends was enough to make this hard-hearted broad teary eyed. When I met some of my other queer friends there, we had a three human hug and exclaimed, "Happy Gay Marriage Day!" I half-joking proposed to K just cuz I could. She said yes, but the jury is still out on how her human feels about it.
I am so lucky to have such a supportive community. I received text messages from friends back home. Gay marriage or, you know, just marriage now...is a wonderful thing to celebrate. And, it is a huge step forward for the United States, which is so often divided on these kinds of social issues.
I would like, however, to say that there is so much more to do. So, let's celebrate marriage equality with the knowledge that we need to keep working towards human equality. Bullying is still huge factor in the lives of queer people. This ranges from the prolific pejorative slinging to physical harm of LGBTQ humans. YouTube has provided a safe space for many wee gaybies, and children are expressing non-heterosexual tendencies earlier and earlier. Unfortunately, some of their parents are not on board. Forty percent of homeless youth identify as LGBTQ, and 46% cited their sexual orientation as the main cause of their homelessness (source). Transgender and transsexual people are marginalised, abused, and rarely celebrated with the same fanfare of Caitlyn Jenner experienced. And, the official LGBTQ acronym is "LGBTTQQIP2SAA" (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Treanssexual, Queer, Questioning, Intersex, Pansexual, 2 Spirited, Asexual, and Allies). We, as a community of humans, need to work to make sure all the queers feel comfortable, safe, and equal living their truth.
We have an amazing opportunity here, people. Children born on June 26th, 2015 in the United States will never know a time when same-sex marriage is any different from mixed-sex marriage. Those children who are young enough may not remember. Those under ten probably think that marriage--as an institution--is icky, anyway. We have the chance to teach today's children that love comes in all forms and all of it is equal.
Hey you,
Have a gay day.
Love,
Katie
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| Anyone wanna marry this? Yeah, that's what I thought. |
