Meet the octogenarians - Jack Evans and George Harris. They have been together in love for the better of the latter half of the last century to this moment. 54 years.
On Friday, June 26, when the
“Ten years ago, this was not even imaginable. Had little hope it would ever come to Texas, still shocked that Texas is allowing it today,” An elated and emotional Jack Evans said.
Texas was one among the dozen or so states in the US that remained barren and dry without a wink of prospect from the clouds of law, concerning the legalisation of
Genji Monogatari (Tale of Genji), often branded as the world's first novel, illustrates eccentric plots of the erotic encounters of Genji, the son of an emperor, who, in one scene sleeps with his concubine's brother. Genji also felt that the boy was sexually more pleasing than his sister.
Literal renditions from official acknowledgements go as far back as the 11th century when it comes to purporting the reality shows of predominant homosexuality in the computational phylogeny of human society.
Religions, mostly, have always brandished a hard whip against the sexual discretion of men and women, who have taken refuge in their own gender.
“A man shall not lie with another man as he would with a woman, it is an abomination.” - Torah
Christianity, being pronounced with different syllables of denominations has mixed opinions. On one hand they classify homosexual acts as sinful. While, equally, the other hand has no qualms to accept same-sex relationships as morally acceptable.
“Do you approach males among the worlds and leave what your Lord had created for you as mates? But you are a people transgressing.” - Quran, Surah 26
Hindu temples, such as Khajuraho and Padhlavi endorse adventurous orgies of both heterosexual and homosexual natures alike as one would endorse fish magnets on a refrigerator.
According to Pew Global Attitudes Project in 2013, homosexuality is broadly accepted in North America, European Union, Latin America, Asia and Russia. The research discovered that the general average, in the richest countries where the religious gravity was relatively low, was tolerant and accepting of same-sex relationships. Age is also an influencer here. Younger respondents were seen to be more liberal than the older ones. Also, women were found to be less homophobic than men.
When it doesn't harm anyone or cause any evil, acceptance is the most profound form of humanness.
Padma Iyer, who wanted nothing but the best for her son, placed this ad in a national newspaper, which allegedly is the first gay matrimonial ad to have appeared in mainstream media in India - “Seeking 25-40, Well Placed, Animal-Loving Vegetarian GROOM for my SON (36 5'11") who works with an NGO. Caste No Bar (Though IYER preferred)”
In one of her fund-raiser campaigns for equality, Ms Iyer says, “Sexuality is not a choice. Homophobia is.”
The social media has not been sitting idle on the sidewalk either. Facebook, with its pro-gay photo filter which colours your profile picture in rainbow with a click, is evident to understand the importance of acceptance to an acceptance. Rather an acknowledgement to a legislation.
Gay couples who are susceptible to social and moral wounds inflicted by their communities and countries need more than just a legal nod. They need a genuine hug from the heart of the people they are surrounded by.
It has so happened that supporting a cause has come to be seen as a sign of progress. Be it legalisation of marijuana or same-sex marriage. When there is a sizeable community or a pod of population that wants the rights for something, the ones supporting it are seen as advanced and in time or ahead of their time. And the ones hostile are seen as backward and regressive.
Russia and the Arab world have maintained less enthusiasm toward the legalisation of same-sex marriage or for that matter even the pro-gay photo filter from Facebook.
Muna Iraqi, Egyptian TV presenter gave his opinion, “I support people's right to love freely, without any persecution.”
Gays are not from out of space. They are from here. Just as you and me are. That's why, what we think about them matters in how they are able to think about themselves. If not individually, then collectively.
Speaking on last week's landmark Supreme Court judgement, Modern Family's
Pope Francis, in July 2013, when asked about same-sex relationships, said, “if a homosexual person is of good will and is in search of God, I am no one to judge. It is not right to interfere spiritually in the life of a person.”
He further adds, “Tell me, when God looks at a gay person, does he endorse the existence of this person with love, or reject and condemn this person? We must always consider the person. Here we enter into the mystery of the human being. In life, God accompanies persons, and we must accompany them, starting from their situation. It is necessary to accompany them with mercy.”
I believe that this world is one big modern family. A family accepts its people for who they really are. The ability to maintain discernment toward one's discretion and prerogative. Who are we to judge a verdict already pre-allotted by nature? We are famous because of our human nature. It takes one preposition to make us inhuman. Make us infamous. The 'in'. It is that time now to put the 'in' in the inn of the bygones and position our prepositions toward the positioning of a free disposition.
After all, our world is supposed to be full of sunshine and rainbows. Isn't it?
(Image credits: flickr (