On love

Close to my fifth decade of life it makes me smile (ok, and sometimes cry) when I hear people say things like “you’ve changed so much, you’re no longer the person I used to know.” or “we will never change, we will always feel this way about each other.” or “I wish we could go back to the way things were.”

Inclusion on purpose* looks like honesty and feels like shared humanity. I am gay. If this comes as a surprise, here is what to say and, more importantly, what not to say to me.

It is from the comfort of my true self that I share with absolutely anyone that I am gay. This is me. Take it or leave it. I am not interested in being changed, I am not interested in your opinion if you are not ready to celebrate me and family. Not accept. Not tolerate. Celebrate. The verb was chosen on purpose.