it gets better
While trolling youtube, I came across a very interesting documentary called “Love me if you dare“.
The documentary delves into the thought processes and opinions of people’s interpretation of gender roles and further to that, how the social pressures of these roles impact on lesbian relationships. It’s a very interesting portrayal of the social concepts enforced on society and even if we don’t agree, it’s what we’re taught is the norm.
As a woman with free choice, it had never occurred to me that the gender roles of same-sex relationships would have such issues, but they do. I found this to be a very interesting insight and perhaps something that many others fighting for the freedom of equal rights don’t really get a chance to think about either. What do equal rights really mean and how do they impact on the foundational functioning of same-sex relationships? Have you ever thought of this?
I found it particularly interesting to hear about topics such as the use of dildos during lesbian intercourse, and who becomes the bread-winner in same-sex relationships between women. Or what about the judgment of women who identify as lesbian but choose a partner who is ‘butch’, compared to a ‘feminine’ woman?
As it’s bought up in the clip, who says that women who like women don’t also like being penetrated while in a sexual relationship? Why is it a relationship strain when both involved are female and the female role has forever been a housewife? Why does love have to be dependent on the ‘image’ of a gender we fall for rather then the individual person and further to that, why is it seemingly more ‘okay’ for a same-sex relationship to be seen in public if both involved fit the mainstream standards of attractive, i.e. two ‘hot’ girls.
It seems that an incredible amount of the decisions that we make will be publicly criticised no matter what they are. You’re damned if you do, and damned if you don’t.
Further on the topic of these everyday struggles, a campaign called It Gets Better has been running for some time now to help show young lesbian, gay, bisexual and transexual (LGBT) people in the struggle to be themselves during the high school years that it gets better.
‘We’re here to say, it does get better’.
If you’re anything like me, the last few years of school are, honestly, the worst that you can ever face. It is true that since leaving, I sometimes wish that life was as laid back as it was when all I had to worry about was an English assignment or two. However that doesn’t change the fact that the school environment is tailored for a very particular strain of student; a very particular strain of person. When you’re dealing with raging hormones, uncomfortable peers, and challenges with the academic side of life, it’s always going to be harsh, and this is the story for many teens in everyday life. But imagine, on top of all else that’s thrown at you, being constantly bullied and ridiculed for a lifestyle ‘choice’ that is still condemned as inappropriate.
‘Many LGBT youth can’t picture what their lives might be like as openly gay adults. They can’t imagine a future for themselves. So let’s show them what our lives are like, let’s show them what the future may hold in store for them’.
The website features a range of videos uploaded from people who identify as LGBT nationwide, in support for the young ones still suffering today. In the hope of sharing information, future aspirations and what life can really be like minus the close-minded and singular idea toward success that prevails in high school.
‘Everyone deserves to be respected for who they are’.
By taking the pledge on the website, we can show our support by spreading the message of equality to our friends, family and neighbours. We can help by speaking up against ‘hate and intolerance’ and let young people who identify as LGBT and who are suffering from bullying know that “It Gets Better.’
Isn’t it an incredible feat that in today’s society, with everything that we’ve accomplished, equality for our fellow man is still a struggle for anyone even slightly different to the social standards set by founding forefathers of status and appearance? Let’s take a stand and help encourage those having these challenges in their life.
Equality for all.
