I am pleased with the discussion this post has raised.
I can sometimes write in a humorous, take-the-piss way but deliberately didn’t want to with this because I didn’t want the comments section reduced to snarky soundbites and jokes made.
As a mum of a 12 year old, I always want him to feel able to tell me how he feels about his identity.
I just want to add that most people (note the use of the word MOST) supporting ‘trans’ teenagers are doing it from a place of love. It’s new ground for them, a curve ball they are handling best they can.
I say this based on people I have personally known.
Keep an open mind and keep listening - to both other people - particularly those with experience of these things and to your own intuition most of all - always ❤️
Julie, I couldn't have said this better. Excellent. I'm so over it and as a mom of a gay son what's sad is he's over it too. This hijacking of symbols, the instant assumed beliefs if you question anything is all disgusting. Makes me think of the excellent podcast on The Free Press called "The Witch Trials of J.K. Rowling" - absolutely worth a listen to a free thinking, most intelligent woman, who had an opinion about where the transgender "ideology" was leading to and was basically set on fire. It's worth a subscription just to listen. Fighting for decent discourse amongst those who have lost their minds is akin to David and Goliath. Speaking of which, the rainbow is a most beautiful promise to never flood the earth again but I'm uncertain it is holding. Great read! Have a peaceful weekend if possible! 😅
There are a lot of narratives that have been purposely pushed to ridicule to enable us all to recognise our fears and triggers and release them.
I truly have faith that the future is very Golden. We just all have to release the social programming and forgive others theirs.
Same goes for anyone’s judgement of what you have said- says more about their triggers than your own.
We are all creating our own reality so the more we focus on what we love and stay in the higher vibrational emotional spectrum the more we will see of those type of experiences in our reality.
Easily said not so easy to do given the social conditioning we’ve all been through but forgiveness is key for our own peace.
The past is gone and can’t be changed. The future isn’t known but if we stay in the present and focus on the emotions and experiences we want the more the future you pull in will be filled with those experiences that match your emotional vibration. Send them love and move on this supporting them to heal themselves.
I love rainbows for the natural and beautiful thing they are- I can’t wait til I see leprechauns and a pot of gold at the end of mine and that’s what I’m focusing on With gratitude and love 😊
Rainbows for me used to be about Norse and Celtic mythology (the bridge between Midgard and Asgard or the pot of gold hidden by the leprechaun) and of course Geoffrey, George, Bungle and Zippy. You’re right, it’s turned into a colourful stick to beat us with. This is why we can’t have nice things. Sorry you took some flak but you dealt with it like a Rainbow Warrior, and your eye for sophist trickery is sharp.
I was just having this conversation, and you captured it well in a nuanced, honest way. I used to view rainbows as an almost spiritual occurrence, a little wink of encouragement from God that he’s out there and he makes beautiful things. Now, it’s like seeing a Democrat donkey or Republican elephant.
Julie, there is a Christian song called "reclaim the rainbow". Great guy singer, cannot recall his name, but very heartfelt. The rainbow was originally God's covenant promise that He would not flood the world again and He did not. I do not know exactly why the LGBT movement took hold of the rainbow as their symbol. I was bisexual for about two years in my youth. At that time, virturally all my close friends were gay men and one lesbian. We were a big and rowdy group and had much adventure. Then, from the very early 1980's....disaster began to strike and one by one, my beloved friends began to die from AIDS. I could easily have contracted it as well, having sex with bisexual men in my San Francisco location. At my Elder age now, 71, I see the mess being made from dissoloute behavior, my OWN at the top of the list. I do not present myself as Miss Purity, I certainly was not. I have simply learned through MUCH travail and sorrow, that God's ways, though difficult, are better. Narrow path and all...I want LGBT folks to be left alone and treated with courtesy. Life, however, begins only with the union of one egg and one sperm, male and female joining to create the spark of life, as messy as it is.
I’d like to add a little input from a different perspective.
I too am from a vintage who remembers the LGB before T, but the T was always there, it was just different then.
As society lurches onward to whatever we together find, the current nomenclature will continue to morph. The morphology was greatly lacking in past iterations, just as it feels insufficient to today’s people and language.
When we glance over our shoulders to Stonewall, Marsha P. Johnson was there. The struggle of trans people has always been present in recorded history.
There are no rainbows at my workstation, and the only shirt I own with rainbows also has dancing bears on it :)
I know as many LGB people, as I do T people, who do not bathe their wardrobes or their ideologies in rainbows.
In decades past, I never felt inclusivity to a queer community in an overall sense, and I still don’t, but that’s far less important to me than what I actually want:
Equality and freedom from oppression in our society. (Insert James Baldwin quote here).
Love this. Should’ve seen my room in the nineties (Lisa Frank EVERYWHERE 🤣). So, yes, I’m a rainbow fan too. And yes, I’m also tired of these things being hijacked. Sometimes a rainbow is just a rainbow. Not everything has to mean something. Maybe I just happen to like the color red or blue. It’s exhausting.
Interestingly, the word “rainbow” still conjures up a “rainbow” for me. May I ask why it means something different to you, why you’ve allowed others to change your relationship with that word, that image?
A swastika originally meant “good fortune” & “well-being.” Earlier associations may have signified simple movement of the sun.☀️ We can allow others to control our relationships with words, images, people or we can define them ourselves. Our power is our power.
Questioning money allocation is responsible; I wonder, do you do this with all things or just this?
I try not to generalize associations, if I can help it. A rainbow is still just a rainbow. It can be this, if you want it to be.
Join the club! I can't believe how reactionary people have become. You can say the most innocent thing and there's an attack force at the ready to twist your words into a pretzel and demand your head.
.. you may find it productive to consider the merits (if any) of ‘Binary Thinking’ as opposed to the Reality & radiant diversity of Spectrums..
ps.. A Sidenote re myself, Julie. I’ve never ‘won’ an Argument in my entire life.. & to this very day.. in my ‘dotage’ - may inquire re matters of interest, offer ‘my opinion’ or those of trusted Exemplars. Will always ask ‘Tough Questions’ or provide direction to those far more informed than myself.. Yes, I do expect some hostility to my Note this AM re Vaccines.. but I saw Sputnik fly overhead as a child & believe the world is round & received both Smallpox & Polio Vaccines as a child.. and a seatbelt saved my life one Christmas Day.. and have spoken with a Medical compatriot of Dr Larry Brilliant in regard to the Vaccine that initially eradicated Smallpox in India.. & have posted a link to his TED Talk on how that was accomplished.. and my astonishment and anger at the expanding Level of Corruption within
Political Parties & Governance is obvious.. and don’t get me started on the proliferation of Mass Media & Social Media generation, deployment & propagation of PROPAGANDA - the Goals & Strategies - Tactics & Techniques - & Tools 🦎🏴☠️🇨🇦
I am pleased with the discussion this post has raised.
I can sometimes write in a humorous, take-the-piss way but deliberately didn’t want to with this because I didn’t want the comments section reduced to snarky soundbites and jokes made.
As a mum of a 12 year old, I always want him to feel able to tell me how he feels about his identity.
I just want to add that most people (note the use of the word MOST) supporting ‘trans’ teenagers are doing it from a place of love. It’s new ground for them, a curve ball they are handling best they can.
I say this based on people I have personally known.
Keep an open mind and keep listening - to both other people - particularly those with experience of these things and to your own intuition most of all - always ❤️
Julie, I couldn't have said this better. Excellent. I'm so over it and as a mom of a gay son what's sad is he's over it too. This hijacking of symbols, the instant assumed beliefs if you question anything is all disgusting. Makes me think of the excellent podcast on The Free Press called "The Witch Trials of J.K. Rowling" - absolutely worth a listen to a free thinking, most intelligent woman, who had an opinion about where the transgender "ideology" was leading to and was basically set on fire. It's worth a subscription just to listen. Fighting for decent discourse amongst those who have lost their minds is akin to David and Goliath. Speaking of which, the rainbow is a most beautiful promise to never flood the earth again but I'm uncertain it is holding. Great read! Have a peaceful weekend if possible! 😅
There are a lot of narratives that have been purposely pushed to ridicule to enable us all to recognise our fears and triggers and release them.
I truly have faith that the future is very Golden. We just all have to release the social programming and forgive others theirs.
Same goes for anyone’s judgement of what you have said- says more about their triggers than your own.
We are all creating our own reality so the more we focus on what we love and stay in the higher vibrational emotional spectrum the more we will see of those type of experiences in our reality.
Easily said not so easy to do given the social conditioning we’ve all been through but forgiveness is key for our own peace.
The past is gone and can’t be changed. The future isn’t known but if we stay in the present and focus on the emotions and experiences we want the more the future you pull in will be filled with those experiences that match your emotional vibration. Send them love and move on this supporting them to heal themselves.
I love rainbows for the natural and beautiful thing they are- I can’t wait til I see leprechauns and a pot of gold at the end of mine and that’s what I’m focusing on With gratitude and love 😊
If and when there’s this pot of gold at the end of the 🌈 , I’m in for it, but if it is one of my pets going across 🌈 I hate it.
For the rest… a wonderful natural phenomenon to watch in the sky. That’s all.
And yes, I have posted this on Facebook.
So sorry to hear about the insults/negativity spread on social media..
Rainbows for me used to be about Norse and Celtic mythology (the bridge between Midgard and Asgard or the pot of gold hidden by the leprechaun) and of course Geoffrey, George, Bungle and Zippy. You’re right, it’s turned into a colourful stick to beat us with. This is why we can’t have nice things. Sorry you took some flak but you dealt with it like a Rainbow Warrior, and your eye for sophist trickery is sharp.
I was just having this conversation, and you captured it well in a nuanced, honest way. I used to view rainbows as an almost spiritual occurrence, a little wink of encouragement from God that he’s out there and he makes beautiful things. Now, it’s like seeing a Democrat donkey or Republican elephant.
I used to like rainbows too. And mermaids. For me, both are tarnished now.
Julie, there is a Christian song called "reclaim the rainbow". Great guy singer, cannot recall his name, but very heartfelt. The rainbow was originally God's covenant promise that He would not flood the world again and He did not. I do not know exactly why the LGBT movement took hold of the rainbow as their symbol. I was bisexual for about two years in my youth. At that time, virturally all my close friends were gay men and one lesbian. We were a big and rowdy group and had much adventure. Then, from the very early 1980's....disaster began to strike and one by one, my beloved friends began to die from AIDS. I could easily have contracted it as well, having sex with bisexual men in my San Francisco location. At my Elder age now, 71, I see the mess being made from dissoloute behavior, my OWN at the top of the list. I do not present myself as Miss Purity, I certainly was not. I have simply learned through MUCH travail and sorrow, that God's ways, though difficult, are better. Narrow path and all...I want LGBT folks to be left alone and treated with courtesy. Life, however, begins only with the union of one egg and one sperm, male and female joining to create the spark of life, as messy as it is.
Well said. Thank you for posting this Julie.
I’d like to add a little input from a different perspective.
I too am from a vintage who remembers the LGB before T, but the T was always there, it was just different then.
As society lurches onward to whatever we together find, the current nomenclature will continue to morph. The morphology was greatly lacking in past iterations, just as it feels insufficient to today’s people and language.
When we glance over our shoulders to Stonewall, Marsha P. Johnson was there. The struggle of trans people has always been present in recorded history.
There are no rainbows at my workstation, and the only shirt I own with rainbows also has dancing bears on it :)
I know as many LGB people, as I do T people, who do not bathe their wardrobes or their ideologies in rainbows.
In decades past, I never felt inclusivity to a queer community in an overall sense, and I still don’t, but that’s far less important to me than what I actually want:
Equality and freedom from oppression in our society. (Insert James Baldwin quote here).
Cheers.
Love this. Should’ve seen my room in the nineties (Lisa Frank EVERYWHERE 🤣). So, yes, I’m a rainbow fan too. And yes, I’m also tired of these things being hijacked. Sometimes a rainbow is just a rainbow. Not everything has to mean something. Maybe I just happen to like the color red or blue. It’s exhausting.
Interestingly, the word “rainbow” still conjures up a “rainbow” for me. May I ask why it means something different to you, why you’ve allowed others to change your relationship with that word, that image?
A swastika originally meant “good fortune” & “well-being.” Earlier associations may have signified simple movement of the sun.☀️ We can allow others to control our relationships with words, images, people or we can define them ourselves. Our power is our power.
Questioning money allocation is responsible; I wonder, do you do this with all things or just this?
I try not to generalize associations, if I can help it. A rainbow is still just a rainbow. It can be this, if you want it to be.
Join the club! I can't believe how reactionary people have become. You can say the most innocent thing and there's an attack force at the ready to twist your words into a pretzel and demand your head.
Thank goodness for fellow TI American people sharing this space with Me!
.. you may find it productive to consider the merits (if any) of ‘Binary Thinking’ as opposed to the Reality & radiant diversity of Spectrums..
ps.. A Sidenote re myself, Julie. I’ve never ‘won’ an Argument in my entire life.. & to this very day.. in my ‘dotage’ - may inquire re matters of interest, offer ‘my opinion’ or those of trusted Exemplars. Will always ask ‘Tough Questions’ or provide direction to those far more informed than myself.. Yes, I do expect some hostility to my Note this AM re Vaccines.. but I saw Sputnik fly overhead as a child & believe the world is round & received both Smallpox & Polio Vaccines as a child.. and a seatbelt saved my life one Christmas Day.. and have spoken with a Medical compatriot of Dr Larry Brilliant in regard to the Vaccine that initially eradicated Smallpox in India.. & have posted a link to his TED Talk on how that was accomplished.. and my astonishment and anger at the expanding Level of Corruption within
Political Parties & Governance is obvious.. and don’t get me started on the proliferation of Mass Media & Social Media generation, deployment & propagation of PROPAGANDA - the Goals & Strategies - Tactics & Techniques - & Tools 🦎🏴☠️🇨🇦