Life's A Beach...

I spent the day with friends at Ogunquit beach today. It took us about 4 hours to get there thanks to the traffic.  We almost turned back, but I am glad we did not. The water at the ocean was incredible! So refreshing! The waves were huge!

I was chatted up by a few guys, which was flattering.  I had a great day!

So while having dinner with my friends, I brought up the idea that we (as a gay community) make it seem weird that we might want to hold hands out of respect for other's feelings. Yet, it makes me think that we implying there is something wrong with people showing small signs of affection. I am not a huge public display of affection person for gays or straights, but if two people want to hold hands in public, why should it matter to anyone? The reality is, gays are humans who have feelings like everyone else. Gays are not second-class citizens, and should not be treated as such.

I am guilty of not holding hands with boyfriends in the past. And I am currently single, so it's not an issue right now. My friend did remind me that there might be a physical altercation from an ignorant, non-tolerant person, but is that the only reason we shouldn't be showing affection publicly?

I understand people aren't often exposed to such affection, and it's not currently the norm. But not so many years ago, people also were uncomfortable with people of different races being together. In my opinion, it's time to grow up and accept that people are people, and love is love, and it's not up to us to decide who should be allowed to hold hands or not.

So after the discussion, I am not sure either party persuaded the other of their argument, but it was a good discussion overall. As we left the restaurant, I noticed a gay couple leaving a building nearby. They were both holding hands, and the world didn't seem to end. I would say that's a step in the right direction.