When I published a tweet, this morning congratulating my partner on his birthday this morning, that was all I intended, to celebrate him as my significant other and hopefully, make it a special day amongst my community of friends.
Obviously, the pictures
attached to the tweet were happy and romantic as one should expect between
people in a relationship. That such expressions appear to be a rarity to some is
entirely no fault of ours, we are just living our own lives.
Invariably, people in
love would most likely kiss regardless of gender pairing. If in an ordinary
setting we observe two people kissing without attributing any roles to them, we
would immediately conclude they are in love.
Dear @Brian07j,— Akin Akíntáyọ̀ 🏳️🌈 #European (@forakin) July 7, 2020
I wish you a very happy birthday, you're the best, have an extraordinarily wonderful day. Love you with all my heart. pic.twitter.com/32mjOMvZHO
Not that strange
If we dispense of the
seemingly traditional stereotypes to our schooled inclinations from limited
exposure, ignorance out of the lack of knowledge of the existence of things,
prejudice, bigotry, or the absence of the ability to explore life beyond our
worldview, two males kissing or two females kissing would not seem that
strange, they are simply expressing love for each other.
It might come as a surprise to some that same-sex attraction embodies the fullest spectrum of
human interaction, it is not limited to the physical, but it includes the
heart, the mind, the soul and every other human endeavour. That means same-sex
pairings are capable of friendships, relationships, falling in love, entering
into civil partnerships and getting married.
Our legal standing
There are
jurisdictions in the world where there are constitutional protections on sexual
orientation against harm and discrimination, whilst also providing them with the full legal framework of matrimonial and spousal rights, even in South Africa. That many other
countries have not caught up to that ideal does not invalidate the reality of
what it portends and how people who have those rights choose to exercise them.
Now, I am not here to
proselytise or pursue an agenda, that is not my purpose, there are activists
and advocates doing the amazing work of ensuring the fundamental human rights
of the broad LGBTQ+ community. What we would not do is hide from the
world.
We belong in our
communities whether we are accepted or not, we will thrive in our lives and careers
regardless, and for what it is worth, we would proclaim and celebrate the lives
of our significant others because that is who they are significant, purposeful
and relevant.
No apology tendered
In the end, even if
the apparently abnormal to you, but normal to us and many who seek the greater
human diversity cannot be countenanced by you, the very least you can do is, ‘Live
and let live.’ We are asking no more from anyone than to enjoy the pursuit of
happiness without let or hindrance, the freedoms you enjoy in your lives are those
we seek to be accorded to many ostracised, stigmatised, vilified, persecuted,
prosecuted, maimed, and harmed for who they are, and that is always and forever a just cause
to stand for.
We make no apology
for the love we share; we are whether you believe the science or espouse a
myopic belief system as natural as anyone else, probably different, maybe individual, usually unique, or disputably alternative, but never chimeral. We have existed since the beginning
of time and will continue to exist for as long as humanity thrives. We are
here to stay and will not be obliterated or diminished.
In closing, our
hearts are warmed by the support, the messages and the goodwill that has been
shown us and the many birthday greetings to Brian. We cannot thank you enough
and we work towards a better world where no one needs fear for who they are or
who they love.
