February as a month is all about Black History, Valentine’s Day the Beginning of Lent and Ash Wednesday. Not all of these things are my lane, so while I support and educate myself on Black History, while I’ll probably go to church on Ash Wednesday, I want to focus on my lane – LGBTQIA+ people and the ways in which we exist and are celebrated or harmed in the world.
Valentine’s Day is a significant day for many people. It’s a time when commitments are made and anniversaries are celebrated. Eight years ago, it was Valentine’s Day when I took the jump and said that God made me gay and God made me good. It was a stressor that upset my family system, and it was a decision I would make again and again.
As I’ve continued coming out and coming out, gay isn’t a word that I use to describe myself anymore. Instead, I use ace-spec, bi+, trans or non-binary, and queer. Within this collection of
The reality is, friendship and companionship are just as important to us as they are to our romantic and sexual friends. Can we expand Valentines Day to be something which celebrates all of the ways in which humans do life together and celebrate the variety of ways our relationships organize
When I opened the conversation to my friends on the ace/aro-spectrum, we all acknowledged that while we universally were not fans of the current accents and
One friend, talking about an idealized celebration of Valentine’s day said it looked like board games and a cuddle pile. Another said it looked like a feast of food from different social locations, cultures and influences.
Filled with social meaning, Valentine’s day is a way in which our cultural norms are passed from generation to generation. Wouldn’t it be lovely to take the time to shift to a more inclusive Valentine’s day? I believe it would be powerful to step away from the
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