The Way We Iz- Part 2

This is part of a 3 part series on why the present is better- in some ways. It follows up the previous 3 part series on why the past is better- just to keep it equally confusing for all. That’s democracy.

Rainbows

Tolerance. It was a long time coming and many will argue that it's not quite here yet. Others will be quick to tell you that we're losing it, with more and more people falling by way of the dark age. But the very fact that we consider intolerant times the dark age, and the very fact that it worries us as a society, is a good thing. It shows that we care and that we truly value it, and that kind of vigilance means that we're not likely to lose it.

In North America, there would have been a time not that long ago when the sight of homosexuals would have caused violence, moral outrage and ridicule. Indeed, we would not even have seen or heard of it for the most part. It was invisible, this so-called problem of homosexuality. The only times it was made visible to us was when something terrible happened, like a homosexual youth being beaten to death. It took a long time for anyone to even talk about it. But now, people are not only talking about it, they're celebrating it.

For some, it's possible to not only be open about their homosexuality, it has also become possible to live a full life like anyone else, free to marry who they choose and even to have kids. Gone is this ridiculous notion of a lifestyle choice where members of the homosexual community are seen as outsiders who don't have a desire for family and love. And it's not just homosexuals; transgendered people are also coming to the fore and being accepted for who they are and not how they were born.

It's a beautiful thing to see happy same sex couples with their children, living their dreams, full of love, part of their communities. Yes, it's true that they've become the topic of debate in the US elections and not everyone is quite as free as they could be across the continent. But they're no longer strange or invisible, even if they continue to divide people on the moral spectrum. And quite a few people in the educated populace believe that it's backwards to be opposed to them, which is an achievement in itself.

The hardest thing to change in life, and indeed, the last thing to change in humans, is attitudes towards something. The tide has changed largely in favour of rights and acceptance of same sex couples, something which would have been unthinkable not so long ago. Tolerance is progressive and we can only grow by it. Another great reason why this is a good time to be in, especially if you're homosexual, bisexual or transgendered.