and it just seemed perfect considering the Equal Marriage ruling. So, I went up to them and congratulated them. They both smiled and thanked me and went off shopping.
The two guys today had no idea who I was… Just some guy their fathers’ age coming up and congratulating them.
I’ve been openly Gay for almost 40 years, marched in my first pride parade in the early 80’s, fought to be the first person to get same sex benefits at work, and hosted a Gay radio show probably 15 years before they were born, but what they were doing so casually totally amazed me. This was in a far out suburb of Los Angeles - not San Francisco, New York, West Hollywood or Provincetown.
I’ve been with my husband for 27 years, married for 10, and outside of Pride marches, we’ve held hands in public maybe 4 times in our life - and 3 of those times were screamed at and threatened with violence.
Holding hands would not be a casual thing to us - there’s too much history - but between the Supreme Court and these two guys today, it’s wonderful how the world has changed.
And who knows, we might even feel brave enough to let people see us touching in public one of these days. Or maybe we’ll leave that to this new generation of Gays and Lesbians.
I work as a cashier in a discount store. Twice I’ve had to ring up orders over $700! As I tell it" To show how much society has changed, one was for a bat mitzvah, and one was for a gay couple setting up housekeeping.
My two friends got their license yesterday. Our state is one of the ones trying to slow/delay/interfere with the clerks ability to provide marriage licenses, but they located a friendly clerk and got one.
I’m so happy for my friends!
The details of the state of Texas’ attempts to delay the issuance of marriage licenses:
Some counties are refusing to provide the license because the license has printed on it “male” and “female.”
Some county clerks are trying to say they cannot accept any “scratch outs” of the “male” and “female” print of the form. They further say they cannot modify the form themselves when they clearly can. The Harris County clerks recently modified the form for Valentine’s Day by adding floral decorations to the form to make it more “romantic.”
Many clerks turned people away advising the couples to come back when the form is corrected or until or when the state attorney issues a clarification.
In the meantime, the Governor and the state attorney are attempting to pass some kind of “religious liberty exemption” to allow any clerk to deny a license to anyone that the clerk deems to be in a violation of the clerks (and not the applicant’s) “religious liberty.”
Travis and Bejar counties were issuing licenses and in Dallas, the county clerk even waivered the 72 hour waiting period.
Finds what creepy? That people in love can get married and demonstrate their affection in public? If that’s what you mean, then I find your attitude rather creepy.
There are things you should leave to (and for) the next generation, regardless of what Nwabudike Morgan says. Then there are things you should consume, create, revel in, and inspire others to do. Courage and love definitely fall into the latter category.
To make the word braver, more loving, and sexier, all at once. To push forward the causes of tolerance and acceptance. To show the rest of the world that you will not be cowed into obedience. To prove that the battle has been won in the courts and in your heart. To strike a blow not only against bigotry, but against cynicism.
I think it was obvious Novelty Bobble was asking about Daffyd approaching the 2 strangers, not their act of holding hands. i would say no it’s not creepy, but it’s a fair question.
Isn’t that the truth? It’s amazing how far we’ve come.
Awhile back, I took my kids to Putt Putt on a Saturday night. I noticed a couple of young teenaged boys (14 or 15, tops) holding hands. Enjoying a regular weekend date, playing mini-golf. Nobody giving them a hard time. Just another couple. How cool is that?
Back in the 1980s when I was a little girl maybe 9 or 10, I remember having lunch at the Galleria mall in Dallas with my mom and grandmother, when two young men walked by, holding hands. I only had the vaguest notion of what “gay” meant, but the three of us were literally shocked speechless. Finally my grandmother ventured to say, “I just hope they don’t get themselves killed.” And it seemed like a very real possibility, it seriously did. It just wasn’t done.
I’m not saying it’s all perfect now, and there’s still a long ways to go - but our society has come a long way in one generation.
What’s more amazing is how programmed individuals in societies can become. If you grew up seeing gays being open in public and adults having no issues with it then you would think a thing of it throughout your life and would appear as normal as seeing someone walk their dog. There are many things that are ingrained into us as young children becoming subconscious thoughts and feelings. In effect, we are all brainwashed to various extents with what’s socially acceptable and what is not.
Fortunately, throughout the years of more gays coming out, seeing more of it on TV shows like Will and Grace…etc, we gradually open up. As kids grow up this will become even more of the norm for them until eventually it’s a complete non issue in religions and personal beliefs…once all the old die hard haters finally die off.
Phew! Thankfully my lack of clarity hasn’t been completely disastrous.
I absolutely meant the approach by Daffyd, not the hand-holding. I don’t think “creepy” would be a suitable word to for that anyway. But to be totally clear I’m a 100% solid supporter of same-sex marriage and consider the normalisation of same-sex shows of affection to to be a good thing, and to be welcomed.
That said, I would think the same “good for you” as Daffyd does, but because it should be seen as perfectly mundane the biggest compliment I can pay them is to treat it as no big thing.
