It is Thanksgiving today and I find myself giving thanks for so many things. But one of the things I am thankful for but don't think about nearly enough is the queer lens through which I see the world. I see all things through these "Queer Coloured Glasses." My work, my church, my books, my family and friends, my body...really, I see everything through them. I never really think about whether it is bad or good....it just is. So I think maybe on occasion I will think about it and share some of those thoughts here.
For example, we had Thanksgiving dinner with a local lesbian couple. We don't really have anything much in common with them, except that we all live in the same small town and we identify as part of the LGBTTQ community. Enough? Strangely, it seems it is for queers. We talk about things other groups of people don't, we can acknowledge our relationships and sex lives openly and share a turkey dinner. If we were not queer, what would draw us into any space where we would interact? And yet, there we were, sharing a holiday meal.
Identity as common ground, a gathering point, a place of meaning that draws us together. As I look around at other cultures and communities, I realize that nothing under the sun is new and neither is this. We give thanks with people like ourselves. People with whom we can be honest and authentic.
When I think about it, perhaps that is worth sharing and celebrating after all.
The Conscience Chronicles
6 years ago
