Just the habit
Re: "Not so proud", (PostBag, June 4) & "Proud to be out", (BP, June 2).
Like Jason Jellison, I am "an older gay man". Also like Mr Jellison, I don't "attend gay pride parades and festivals", at least not this century. However, in the 70s and 80s, I did: as a committed gay male nun, a proud member of the dingomatically inspired (all praise her feralness) Sydney chapter of the Order of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, I would don a habit appropriate to the occasion, and go out to protest or party or simply be seen.
Had we and others not done so in those distant decades, homosexuality would still be treated as a crime or a sickness. Had we not protested or simply stood up to say that we existed, there would have been no moral progress, bringing same-sex marriage that is increasingly recognised as basic justice today. Had we not partied at Mardi Gras after marching proudly through central Sydney, millions of LGBTQ people would still be cowering in closets, terrified of discovery by the closed minds of bigots eager to inflict violence and shame.
The same is true of the Act Up protests that raised awareness of Aids in the 80s. Those brave souls flaunting their existence and the reality that Mr Jellison's nice folk, terrified alike of sequins and leather, would deny or worse, also deserve honour. They, too, moved society forward in positive ways and likely contributed to saving millions of lives.
It also appears not to have occurred to Mr Jellison that people who might be partying as, according to him, "a tattooed Asian male wearing nothing but a necklace and a rainbow thong, with his genitals bulging out for the world to see", no more dress like that at work than a Harlequin or Cleopatra at a hi-so masquerade party in 1912 would wear that dress to their lawyer's or doctor's office, or to parliament. And what is a dinner suit today but fancy dress for a special occasion?
Sensible parents hopefully think it healthier to have teachers who are comfortable being who they are, who have sound moral values, and who respect the rights of others, even children, than those masquerading as proper-looking teachers or priests or scout leaders or the like so as to get close to their children for other than pedagogical purposes.
Felix Qui
