#bc the priest from across the street is literally living with his husband

[imabiscuitinthousandworlds]

I still gotta say, I love love love that queerness - at least homosexuality - was always just a normal thing for me.

When I was a kid, we had gay neighbours. Yeah, they're both men and they're married. Our neighbour Tom* and his husband. Just like mum and dad are married. No big deal.

At a similar age, a client and good friend of my parent's married her girlfriend. I was actually the flower girl at a lesbian wedding. I was too young to actually remember now, but women marrying each other? Well, of course, because they love each other! No big deal - just a very happy day, as weddings tend to be.

And it didn't turn me gay, either.

When I was 8 or 9 some kid at school called me gay and my reaction was "one, for girls you call that lesbian, and two, I'm not a lesbian" along with some confusion and why anyone would ever use gay as an insult because it was just normal. I also whole-heartedly believed that I wasn't lesbian at the time.

The only reason I identify as lesbian is because of one (1) crush I developed when I suddenly found myself imagining what it'd be like to kiss that one girl, despite my best attempts not to. The crush went away (thankfully lol). The knowledge that my attraction to fem presenting people feels different stayed. But all of that? COMPLETELY unrelated to knowing that homosexual people exist.

The only thing here where my upbringing really had an impact?

Even as I discovered that I was lesbian, I knew my parents would accept me. I never felt unsafe. I never felt super nervous about coming out. I was never, not even once plagued by even the slightest fear that they might not accept me for who I am, whether I want to or not.

What I want to say I guess is that knowing about homosexuality doesn't turn any kids gay but makes them feel safe if they do turn out to be, and also kudos to my parents and much love for all the openly queer couples in the world.