Relentlessly gay and all things rainbow

 

 

The "Relentlessly Gay" Rainbow Jars. Source: Twitter

 

First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win.

 - Mahatma Gandhi

 

 

• A 'Christian' couple vow to divorce if same-sex marriage is legalised in Australia

• Anti same-sex marriage brochures are distributed to children at Australian Catholic Schools 

• A woman in the US receives a letter from a concerned neighbour about her "relentlessly gay" yard which shockingly features multiple - yes MULTIPLE I know!! - rainbow coloured jars

These may seem like news headlines from 1950, but nope....they are from this very week 2015. If Gandhi's quote, and the current pockets of fierce resistance are anything to go by, then the LGBT community are up for a huge victory any second now. 

 

Victory seems like a strange word to use. Victory for having one's identity finally and fully accepted and respected? For having the same rights as your fellow human beings? A person or community shouldn't have to fight for these things but ever since small minds and narrow hearts somehow took control over most social and global systems, this has been the case for every so-called minority group. 

 

But here's the thing about minority groups - and most of us are in one, of some kind or other, you are just lucky if yours happens to be of the more socially accepted kind - when united together we become the big majority.  Together we have the power to rock the boat, to stand up for and support each other. 

 

In the past the collective response was more 'your cause is not my cause, so I'm staying out of it', or worse. Today, thanks to a combination of increased consciousness, online information, social media and expanded social circles, we have a greater awareness that we are all in this life thing together. The unfamiliar 'other' is now your family member, your friend, your colleague. And so the collective drum has changed to 'your cause becomes my cause' because we can see with our eyes and feel with our hearts the effects that a warped social and political system has on our loved ones, and on ourselves. Humanity is rocking the boat on this and every other issue that is due for transformation and evolution.

‘If one fails, all fail.’

 − The KeyMaker, The Matrix Reloaded, Andy and Larry Wachowski

The sign that we are in fact in 2015 not  1950 is that even while there are still those who are outraged and distressed by #relentlesslygay things that affect them in no way whatsoever, the majority are more outraged and distressed by the prejudice and ignorance that still exists in our society. The tide has turned. The boat is rocking as it turns in the direction of a new world, one in which freedom to be who you really are, and allowing others the same courtesy, while harming no-one, is surely part of the cornerstone of our new foundation. 

 

(c) Dana Mrkich 2015

 

 

Thank you as always for contributing to the engaging, thoughtful and considerate conversation here.  Your comments are welcome.  

 

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Love Dana x

Unity and community connection

Where do I start with the amount of unity and community connection going on right now? 

Troops and donations are being sent from all over to help Serbia, Bosnia and Croatia as they face unprecedented flooding with tens of thousands of people having to flee their homes. These people have suffered more than their fair share of hardship, usually under circumstances of war, and one heart-warming thing about this situation is that the focus for the entire region is on helping and saving as many people and animals as possible. Please see The Novak Djokovic Foundation here and here for further information. 

In Australia tens of thousands hit the streets yet again in the 'March in May' to protest the decisions of our current Government. Every single promise that was made prior to the election has been broken and turned on its head. This is not surprising to those who didn't vote for him, and it has enraged many who did vote for him. The result: people who usually are on opposing sides joining together for a common cause - calling for a more honest, fair government that truly represents the people instead of embarking on a system of governing more suited to a dictatorship. 

Also in Australia, my friend Dean's petition is almost at 25,000 supporters with many of those leaving comments about their own struggles with mental health or unfair insurance company decisions, along with their total appreciation for our emergency service workers.

All of this is happening in our greater community, on top of what feels like a growing swell of healing, sharing, empathy, emotional connection and heart-opening occurring in our smaller circles of family and friends. Have you been feeling this?

(c) Dana Mrkich 2014

www.danamrkich.com