Barefoot Bellringing

There’s something I’ve been needing to get off my chest for awhile now. Labels. I don’t like them.

Now, please understand, I’m not talking about tape labels or file folder labels. I LOVE them. They help me organise my world and I like that very much. But as far as society’s labels…I don’t like them at all.

Some of the labels that society pins on me. Hetersexual, straight, female, human, Christian, Anglican, middle-aged, vision impaired, hearing impaired, mentally ill, food addict, religious, spiritual, overweight, fat, outspoken, opinionated, passionate, down-to-earth, etc.

Some of the labels I understand and have even attached them to myself. There is one label that makes me absolutely crazy. Straight. What on earth does that mean? If you’re not straight you’re crooked? If you’re not straight you’re wavy? Hair is straight, sexuality is not. I slightly more comfortable with heterosexual. Because I am attracted to the opposite gender, although I can truly appreciate a beautiful female.

I am an ally of the “not straight” movement. I have transgender friends, homosexual friends, lesbian friends, queer friends, two-spirited friends, gay friends. And what do each of these friends call me? They call me by name. Not a label. What do I call them? I call them by their name. Now, in the case of a transgender friend, I will usually ask their preferred name and pronoun if I’m not sure. And every single time, this request has been received graciously and lovingly.

To be perfectly honest, I don’t care what anyone does in the privacy of their bedroom, as long as both are adults, consentual and nobody gets hurt. We, as a society, spend far too much time talking about sex, and not nearly enough time engaging in it. Those of us who chose to do so. Not everyone wants to have a sexual relationship, and that, too, is a private matter that should not be open to discussion or criticism.

A late prime minister of Canada one said “the government has no business in the bedrooms of the nation”. I’m thinking its time we reminded the authorities of that. And, occasionally, each other.

I’m certain I will blog more about this at a later time, but for now, I needed to get this off my chest.

Love who you are, and share that love, with whomever you choose, however you choose. Don’t label or demean what you don’t understand. Live by the golden rule. And if you still find it necessary to slap a label on a perfect stranger…get over your bad self.