The Beauty of Diversity
Unexpected
It is stunning to see the public arrival of the LGBTQ communities. It was not long ago that they were relegated to the shadows and treated to nothing other than discrimination.
It seems not so long ago that men’s rooms were surveilled and prosecutions were numerous. It was proclaimed that “these people” were mentally ill or inclined to criminal activities of all sorts.
I remember the two “maiden ladies” who lived down the street. “What a shame that they failed to find husbands”. Or the bachelors in the community. While it is possible people fail to find a mate or choose not to marry, it is now apparent that there were alternative stories.
Acceptance!
And then the rainbow flags blossomed. What was striking was that it did not take long for there to be growing acceptance. State after state began to accept same sex marriage and people began to reveal that they were lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or questioning or queer which is what Q stands for. The use of the term queer means we have coopted a formerly pejorative term and questioning is wholly valid.
Secrets
In fact we used to live in a fantasy land assuming we were either male or female and that the identity was firm with minor variations. The sudden acceptance of variation reveals the underlying truth of our identity. It is highly varied and nuanced.
Our former discussions about our identity were hushed. We dared not admit that we were variable within a nominal sex. Men had certain defined characteristics, as did women. In this new world we are admitting that huge variations in identity are normal just as with personality and numerous other characteristics. There need be no value attached except the value we find in our binding and the joy we find in each other.
Underlying Prejudice and Agendas
What we are now suspecting is that there are many underlying agendas—many of them prejudicial. Women are being empowered but an underlying misogyny is surfacing. Oddly men can be married but deeply prejudiced about the needs of women. It would seem there is evaluation and introspection needed and, of course, much of the evaluation of ourselves needs to be extended to the LGBTQ communities.
Recognizing Truth
It seems our physiology does not set our identity or other orientations in stone. We did understand that humankind is complex in quite a number of ways. But our orientations and identity have been kept secret until now. And, again, what we find is that when we opened the door we found broader acceptance than we might have thought.
This is truly a glorious day. In yet another way we are freeing ourselves from needless restrictions and prejudices. Where will all these changes lead? Only time will tell, but the depth of human understanding, identification and orientation to life is being understood, even welcomed.
Celebration
And I had to celebrate these changes and did so when I created the character Reuben De Santis in my Gaia’s Majesty Trilogy (coming this winter). He is drawn from the image of Tim Gunn on Project Runway. Tim has such elan, is so skilled and supportive as he conveys his design sense to assist the contestants. I thought him perfect to help attend the difficult tasks facing the Tethyan peoples.
Our new day requires celebration in many forms.
How are you celebrating?