If you read nothing else on the Internet today, you must choose this one: “Mommy, they are just like me.” Every time I read the whole thing, the last full paragraph makes me cry. Every time.
It’s not just that this is a great story—and it is. And it’s not just because they’re great parents—because they are. It’s because THIS is how I want the world to be, it’s what I’ve been fighting for over the past 30 years.
This being the Internet Age and all, we automatically assume all stories on the web are fake. The author of this story addresses that, too. I choose to take her at her word. Anyway, the lack of evidence to the contrary ought to be enough—we’re not talking about something world-changing, are we? Still, this is how the world ought to be, so visualising the world as a better place, where this story can happen, helps to make this a better place. Where’s the harm in that?
Maybe that's world-changing after all.
Update 20 August: Out Magazine has an update from the mother who wrote the post, and it's worth reading, too.
2 comments:
I read the mother’s follow-up and it brought back thoughts of a young woman I knew. Although she did not come right out and tell me she was gay, I knew. The last time we spoke, she told me how her parents had shunned her (my words, not hers). It made me so sad, but time didn’t allow us to continue the conversation. A few weeks later she committed suicide. I, along with other closer friends, were left with “if only I” statements. I believe that non-gay people should encircle those who are, and especially those who have been rejected by their family, and show them that they are still valued, still loveable.
Sadly, that's not a unique story. I've heard many others just like it. The whole point of the "It Gets Better Project" is to help people struggling with their identity—especially rejection—to understand that it gets so much better.
At the end of the day, I believe that, as the Beatles sang, "All You Need Is Love" and our task and challenge is to make sure that everyone knows that—especially the outcasts.
So, good thing I'M not one of them, eh? :-)
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