My daughter sent me a picture of her seventeen year old nephew, my grandson, dressed up like a beautiful girl and no explanation. I could think of a ton of reasons why he was doing that. All of them okay, but I wanted to know the rest of the story.
His mother does not allow me on her site, so I finally had to go back to my daughter and ask her to check out the whole story, not just the photo. It turns out he and his teenage friends all dressed in solidarity with the people being persecuted for "not conforming" to someone else's idea of what their gender "Should be."
I was so proud of them. It took a lot of courage to attend a play dressed like that knowing the hate that preceded them. But I also thought how fragile and vulnerable he looked and it made me sad for all the other people who have to live like that everyday.
It is hard enough to get along in this world without having to defend who you are, especially as a child or young person. Of course it makes the persecutor look like someone trying to make up for their own shortcomings. Whether that is their education, personal build, lack of money, or lack of social standing, hate is a poor coping mechanism that serves no one well.
It is hard to perceive persecutors as weak, powerless people, because they do have power. It is just that their power is so pathetic who would want it?
No comments:
Post a Comment