Some more thoughts about another thing

So in the last day or so this video has been circulating around my newsfeed on Facebook, and I got the chance to actually watch it just now:

At school, I was taught that everyone is born equal. That everyone is entitled to their own opinions, lifestyles and choices, and that prejudice or discrimination in any form is wrong. I'm pretty sure most people are taught these same things, be it through school, religion, or otherwise. And yet it doesn't stop hideous acts of discrimination occurring every day.

We live in a world where norms play a huge role in what we deem to be right and correct. Anything different from these norms, and we don't trust it, and we attempt to protect ourselves from it. The problem is, that we don't see through our own cloud of uneasiness that what we view as "unnormal", is someone else's "normal". And it is often the case that the majority wins. It is always the minority that makes up the outsiders, because they're easier to annexe and easier to exclude.

I am incredibly lucky to have been brought up in a largely liberal community where explicit and visible acts of discrimination aren't regular occurrences. This doesn't mean, however, that the thought of it doesn't scare the living daylights out of me. I see the glances I get when I walk down the street holding hands with my girlfriend. I note the uses of the word "gay" as a derogatory term. I hear how people use the words "queer", "poof", "dyke", and more besides. There are people who believe that I am going to hell because of my life choices. I would like to refer these people to the above video, and the man named Donovan. In the state of Texas, you would think that an ardent Christian would be one of the first to turn a blind eye to the waitress's behaviour. But no. He tells her not to judge people. He gets so angry that he storms from the restaurant and writes a letter of solidarity. Because the the bible teaches tolerance: it teaches tolerance, love and charity. I do not call myself a Christian, but to me that is what religion is supposed to be about: loving your neighbour, standing up for the underdog, and being the best possible person you can be.

When I have children (and I say when, not if), they will be brought up learning that it doesn't matter if you have a mum and a dad, or just one parent, or two dads, or two mums. What matters is that whoever your parents are, that they love you like they love no one else, regardless. What matters is that a child is brought up in a safe, loving environment, knowing each day that they have people who care for them. My children will grow up learning that it is unacceptable to judge people just because we may see them as "different", and that discrimination is never the answer. I like to think that one day, there will be a world where everybody, regardless of race, religion, or sexuality, can live happily in one place. I'm not naive; I know that it may just be a pipe dream. But I also know that life is too short to worry about protecting ourselves from what is different. What makes this world amazing is the diversity and variety within it; if we embrace it, we'd all be a lot happier.