“I am in the act of asking myself if I ought to reply to your question? A question furthermore most indiscreet and which merits a sharp reprimand. Reply, don’t reply, reply! Oh to the devil with discretion!
Well, you ask me pointblank why I love you… I love you, because I’ve fought so hard to win you… I love you, because you never gave me back my ring. I love you because you have never yielded in anything; I love you because you never capitulate. I love you for your wonderful intelligence, for your literary aspirations, for your unconscious (?) coquetry. I love you because you have the air of doubting nothing! I love in you what is also in me: imagination, the gift for languages, taste, intuition and a host of other things…
I love you, because I have seen your soul…”
Well, this is a letter between two lovers. Now, read it again and tell me if you can see who the two people are. A man and a woman? Two men? Two women?
When I went through the snippets of the letters in the article aforementioned, I felt that they were profound, passionate, beautiful and intense. It is only after going through the letters in their entirety, I realized that they were between two women. Love is love nevertheless. Isn’t it? Besides if we just get to read a conversation between two lovers without knowing who the two are, would we know if it’s between two men, two women or between a man and a woman? We would only know the nature of love, whether it’s Platonic, Storge, Philia, Eros or Agape.
Love is beyond the ordinances that “we” created. But sadly in an attempt to be a part of this “we”, understand and confirm to gender stereotypes, for decades many had to hide behind the invisible walls that we created, hide behind their masked identities, gasping for breath, trying to break free from the shackles of our norms, prejudices and struggling to be.
Having said that, identity crisis is not the only implication here. As per a report published by “lgbtihealth.org” in Feb 2020, 41.4% of homosexual/bisexual people aged 16 and over met the criteria for a mental disorder and had symptoms in the last 12 months whereas 20% of people (22.3% female; 17.6% male) aged 16 and over among the general population met the criteria for a mental disorder and had symptoms in the last 12 months; LGBT people aged 16 and over 19 scored an average Kessler Psychological Distress (K10) score of 19.6, indicating moderate psychological distress whereas National average K10 score for the general population aged 16 and over in Australia is 14.5 indicating low psychological distress; LGB people aged 16 and over are three and a half times more likely to be diagnosed with anxiety in their lifetime; Transgender people aged 25 and under are ten to thirteen times more likely to be diagnosed with anxiety in their lifetime; 51% of LGB young people and 71% of gender-diverse young people aged 14 to 21
don’t live at home with their families.
Can you see the glaring disparity in how we as a society function? These stats are a stark reflection of our ethos. It is time we change this. It is time we put an end to this systematic subjugation of true identity & freedom with labels & stereotypes. It is time we put an end to “Coming out of the closet.” and let everyone take pride in who they are, let everyone just be, for every person has the right to celebrate his/her true identity even if we don’t identify with him/her. It is time we stop discriminating, rise above our differences, break the glass ceiling, embrace diversity & inclusion, celebrate infinite love, live and let live!
A star in the firmament! 