True Story:
As I first watched the video above, I vividly remembered a story that a close friend told me before I had come out back in my very small hometown in Tennessee in the mid 90's.
His story had a lot to do with why I decided that Tennessee would never by my true home -- a place where I could feel safe and accepted, while simply trying to be happy and live my life as a "normal," intelligent, well-adjusted member of the God-fearing community.
The story is that of two highly-respected teachers at my old middle school; a slightly effeminate husband and his not overly-femenine wife. They were in a tragic auto accident, in which the wife was killed, leaving the husband to raise their two teenage daughters. A few years after this life changing event, the husband began *discretely* dating again. However, his very secret new love interest happened to be another man.
If you've ever lived in a small devoutly-Christian town, you know that no secret remains secret for very long. Through the usual channels of snooping and being overly observant as to the comings and goings of others, the husband's homosexual activities quickly became the latest fodder for the gossip mill.
The friend who told me the story was around a group of the "men folk" in our small town one evening and the testosterone began to take over, with talk quickly turning to the husband's tendency toward homosexuality. As they became more and more infuriated by this deviant behavior happening in their town, they began to speak of a plan.
I'm not sure if this was all testosterone talk or if it was ever to be acted upon, but the plan was to wait until a night where both teenage daughters were gone, then burn down their home. My friend was shocked as he heard their plans, but made no arguments against what they were saying, I suppose out of fear of their mob mentality. One must fit in at all costs, never be different from the flock.
I never heard that the men followed through on their plan, but just knowing that such a level of hatred for those different than themselves ran so rampant in the very people I had known all of my life was more than I could take. With another close friend being job-transferred to California, after some amount of thought, I knew that I really needed to get out. To make a life for myself. To find a lasting love. To be happy. To be ME.
Fourteen years after my move from the South, I realize that I made the right choice and have the life that I always wanted and the love that I dreamed of to prove it. I sleep soundly in my bed at night with my loving partner of 12 years, Eric, never having to fear that we might have been targeted for being different. To me, it feels like I am finally free.
I hope those who happen to be straight reading this will think twice or maybe even speak out should they find themselves witnessing such conversations. And those of you who are less than 100% straight realize that small-minded mentalities can seriously jeopardize your safety very quickly, so please be careful. Always.
The song is from a TRULY AMAZING movie, Latter Days. If you haven't seen the movie, it's an amazing story of social & religious expectations, intolerance and coming to terms with who you are. And most importantly love.
Lyrics: "Another Beautiful Day"
When you were just a child of eight
You were taught you were not to deviate
Only one way to heaven, but half a million ways to fall.
Well we can alienate the strange and the odd
As long as we're "One Nation Under God"
He might love me, but you're his favorite of all.
And it's another beautiful day
It's another beautiful day
It's another beautiful day
In the land of the free
We can hate the Jews, and the blacks, and the fags
As long as we pray and salute the flag
And fall on our knees to a Jesus who looks just like you
And it's another beautiful day
It's another beautiful day
It's another beautiful day
In the land of the free
They blessed your soul and told you to travel
Dressed in polyester for a God made of gravel
You're a man on a mission, I wish you could save yourself
And it's another beautiful day
It's another beautiful day
It's another beautiful day
In the land of the free
It's another beautiful day
It's another beautiful day
It's another beautiful day
In the land of the free
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