Sound the alarms, let the rainbow confetti fly, you read that right: my mom is a lesbian.
Does that change the fact that she's my mom? No.
Does it make me love her less? Heck no.
Does it mean my sister and I will grow up to be lesbians? Absolutely not.
Would you like to know what it means? My mom is attracted to women as opposed to men. That's it. There's virtually no significance.
No, she doesn't dress like a man.
No, she's not going to hit on you.
No, it's not weird for me.
No, I wouldn't change her for anything. She just doesn't like men. That's literally it.
Now, why is my mom’s sexuality relevant? Well, let me tell you. With the Supreme Court's decision currently wreaking all sorts of rainbow havoc on all of my timelines, I thought I'd share my own opinion on the subject.
The Supreme Court’s ruling that same sex married is in fact protected by the constitution holds significant meaning for our country. It means that everyone in the United States now has the right to be married, regardless of their sexual orientation.
Forget that I’m the daughter of a lesbian for a second, but I personally could not be happier for the LGBT community. So many individuals fought so diligently for a right so many Americans take for granted.
How would you feel if the government told you that you couldn't marry your one true love? Despite your loyalty, feelings and commitment to each other, your relationship would never be accepted in the eyes of the law.
Why do we even get married? Because we find that one person who makes our soul sing? To get shared benefits? Love? Before this incredible change in history, the LGBT community had “no right” to shared health benefits, joint guardianship, legal commitment to their partners, etc. How are you going to tell me that you can justify one couples feelings over another's? You can't.
Every human being on this planet has the right to be happy and seek out that happiness however they want. Who are you to judge another person? Do you hate other people because they're a different religion than you? Do you pick a fight with someone who chooses a silver car over a blue one? Do you exile your peers when they prefer blondes over brunettes?
No, you don’t, because who cares what they like or don't like. Like Kasey Musgraves so perfectly says in her song “Follow Your Arrow”, “you're damned if you do, and you're damned if you don't, so you might as well just do whatever you want.” Live your own life.
(Disclaimer: Yes, these choices are much more insignificant than someone’s sexual orientation; however, I'm just trying to make a point. No one is going to agree with every single one of your preferences.)
Now, please don't get someone's sexual orientation confused as a lifestyle choice. Gay people don't choose to be gay. It isn’t a choice, it isn’t a disease, and it isn’t wrong. It's the way the chemistry works in their bodies. What I'm saying is that there are so many things you can do as a human, obviously we're not all going to be the same and do the same things. We’re going to disagree, it's what makes us different--and what makes us different makes us beautiful. People just don’t seem to understand that.
Without getting into the whole religious realm of things or deep into my personal beliefs, it's really disheartening for me to see how so many Christians are bringing God into this in such a negative way. You can't push one verse of the Bible without taking the context into consideration, not to mention the Bible in its entirety. Quit twisting the words around to create a spectacle.
We are called to love, support and help one another. Not to tear each other down at the first sight of a disagreement. We are supposed to share the good word of Christ to get people to accept Him into their hearts, not condemn them to hell by not living by some nonexistent standard. Again, who are you to judge someone? Our Father is so magnificently merciful, just as we should aim to be. Have you prayed about it as much as you’ve talked about it? I don't understand why people can't mind their own business and live their own lives. Why can't we just let people do whatever makes them happy?
So what if you don't agree with my mom's "lifestyle choice" or anyone else's for that matter. Luckily for you, they're not asking you to agree with them, but the absolute least you could do is respect them. My mom is an incredible, confident, independent woman who doesn’t need a man (literally) and can do very well without your approval… because guess what, she’s got mine. I’ve witnessed my mom’s struggle for something she felt so passionately for and something she, and every other member of the LGBT community, deserves, and I am so incredibly proud to be the daughter of a lesbian.
Look, no one is going to shove a rainbow flag down your throat, just as I’d hope you wouldn’t shove some twisted interpretation of the Bible down theirs. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Have a little humanity and be a good person.
What I'm asking from the world is for a little more acceptance. If it bothers you so much, good thing it isn’t your life, right? That’s the cool thing about life--you get to live however you want. Why wouldn’t you let others do the same? And for goodness' sake, if Bruce Jenner wants to start a new life as Caitlyn Jenner, who are you to judge her. Let the girl live! (Plus, her story is so much more newsworthy than anything the Kardashians are doing, let's be real.)
My hope for the world is that people are more considerate towards others. More open. More accepting. More understanding. We should be embracing diversity, not letting it tear us apart. This is such an exciting time for so many people, couples and families. We should be celebrating their happiness, not trying to destroy it. Love won. Our government finally decided that all love is equal. This is huge.
Don’t let such a historic time of triumph and love be overcome by ignorance and bigots. Live life the way you want to and be nice to one another! Life is awfully simple to be this difficult. To quote the great Kasey Musgraves one last time, "mind your own business, and life would be gravy."
All of my love,
The daughter of a lesbian
