I didn't "come out" as a kid, in part because there were bigger crises in my childhood. I just was, & later found my "people" among those who grieved the limits of so much LGBTQ+ activism.
Queerness asks big questions about why society is the way it is. Why can't we choose who's with us in hospital? Why does a certificate decide so much? Why are human rights contingent on label status?
*Society* still needs to come out (of its old shell).
And we will welcome it when it does.
@MLClark I never considered there was an actual word outside of insults for what I was until I read my dad's medical textbooks when I was 11
I grew up hearing jokes, and being bullied. F*g was the preferred insult before they'd beat the hell out of me
I didn't know what to do, didn't have the language to define what I can easily define now, but somehow the kids saw it, and there was nothing but hatred
Now, after seeing slow progress for years, I see things coming back around to hatred again.
@MLClark Thank you for sharing your story. You write so well, the proof of your wisdom shows between the lines and within your daily life of kindness, and understanding.
It's like birdsong, in a way. Calling out only to hear a familiar yet different refrain echoing back. "I am here, and I see you. I have walked roads that sound some like yours. You are not alone."
Thank you for the blessing of your story.
It is far better to live the life you want than the lie they give you- Sean Kennedy