It's just a spark, but it's enough to keep me goin
Hey, I'm Patrick! I’m a homoflexible non-binary (they/them), who enjoys Pokemon, Ace Attorney, Anime, Danganronpa, Harry Potter and fandom in general. Recently been getting more into cosplay!
Nearly twenty years ago, I was volunteering as a hotline staffer at GLAD – the LGBTQ law firm that brought about same-sex unions and marriages in New England. Every week I would take a lot of heartbreaking phone calls from queer folks who were in states that didn’t yet recognize same-sex partnerships. I heard from so many people being separated from their partner and/or their kids, because their families or their workplaces or hospitals or the immigration system didn’t recognize the partnership. So many who couldn’t provide sick partners with health benefits. So many people who were fired for being queer. So many breakups that ended with the biological parent automatically getting sole custody of the children.
We’ve come SO far. Like many of you, I worry about a lot that’s happening right now politically, and I know there are lots of fights left to fight. But I also try to step back often and appreciate how far we’ve come. Thirty years ago, I was a scared & closeted school kid, and legally-recognized same-sex unions felt like an impossible dream. The big picture shown above is amazing.
Happy Pride, all. May we look back in another decade and see many more wins for queer folks around the globe. <3
Anonymous
