Respect

What are you most proud of in your life?

I have always been able to accept others as they are, unless they’re unkind, spiteful, or violent.

When I met my first gay man I had to go home and ask my dad why a boy had told me another boy was good looking. Dad explained that some men liked men and some women liked women, and if that was okay with God it was okay with us.

A lovely way to explain that. As I’ve moved through life we know more about genders, we are a multicultural society, the world is much changed, and I can accept it all if we can only be kind. I cannot accept unkindness at any price, let alone violence, and war is way beyond my understanding.

The fact that we humans find far too many things to divide us brings me to the side issue that falls neatly out of this question.

The right to define yourself

On the UK’s Strictly Come Dancing we have a Drag Queen called La Voix. As you may imagine social media is alight with trolling this person. No big surprise there.

The senior judge originally had the casting vote to decide who stayed in the competition each week if the dance off was a draw. Guess what? They now have to share that task between all the judges because of the sheer volume of nastiness aimed at one person. She needed a rest.

Those two things make me think not about judging others, but our right to comment on others in the first place.

Do we have a right to say that a gender we’ve never experienced the reality of is not real, or wrong? Of course not.

Do we have the right to say that a Judge who has danced all their adult life is making the wrong decision? No.

Do we have the right to define anyone else? No.

Of course a lot of people in this world trot out God as their reason. One of my favourites was that God created a man and a woman to have children. That is defined in some minds as the only way to live.

Could it just mean that He created one of each so that it was possible to procreate? He couldn’t work out the plumbing any other way?

What’s wonderful about this day and age is that heterosexual people are able to share their part in the great plan, and help same sex couples have children.

It seems to me to be a wonderful thing to be able to do, and would the God of Love really object? Or will He say thank you to them when they go home for making happiness and love possible for others. That God of Love title seems to me to answer that question clearly.

Which is why the thing I’m proudest of is my ability to accept others as they are, I wouldn’t want to be any other way.

I’m also happy that I have zero tolerance for rudeness, violence, abuse of any living thing, and conflict. I can’t think of one good reason I’d be any other way.

Best love to you all

Amorah – Deb