LGBTQ* Memorials, Plaques and History
Gay Holocaust Memorial in Berlin, Germany
Above is the short film footage played on a loop inside the Gay Holocaust Memorial in Berlin.
Opened in 2008 - the memorial recognizes the 55,000 men held in concentration camps for “crimes against the state” and “crimes against nature” (as stated in Germany’s Paragraph 175). It is approximated that 15,000 of these men were executed in the concentration camps.
My new blog, #LivingWithStraightBoys, has a little something for everyone. For those who live with with straight boys, hopefully you can relate. For straight boys, hopefully you can laugh at yourself knowing you would do some of these things. Here is the beginning of my latest post:
In attempts to reduce our electricity bill, my roommates and I have decided that we will stop turning on so many lights and instead light a few candles if we really need the luminescence. Even though it may seem like we are going back to the 1800s, it has actually been working out pretty well. Besides, watching scary movies and the like are best done in the dark anyway.
Back to the point of this post: my roommate has to be watched when he lights candles. To begin with, he enjoys lighting matches just to smell them. Not normally an issue as I know many people do this, but he also likes to watch them burn and does more than one match each time. I’m starting to believe he has some pyromaniac tendencies. It has gotten to the point where I pretty much require him to ask before he lights candles and even then he has to be supervised. I’m also thinking about…
Why do we call it gay love? or gay couples? If I love a guy, I don’t say, I gay love you. I would rather be seen as a couple, because that is equal. You don’t say I straight love you, or see that straight couple over there. They’re a couple, and you say I love. It’s not gay love. It’s love.
(via nicknaksowhack)
“Mommy, they are just like me.”
My oldest son is six years old and in love for the first time. He is in love with Blaine from Glee.
For those who don’t know Blaine is a boy…a gay boy, the boyfriend of one of the main characters, Kurt.
This isn’t a ‘he thinks Blaine is really cool’ kind of love. It is a mooning at a picture of Blaine’s face for a half hour followed by a wistful “He’s so pretty” kind of love.
He loves the episode where two boys kiss. My son will call people in from other parts of the house to make sure they don’t miss his ‘favorite part.’ He’s been known to rewind it and watch it over again…and force other to, as well, if he doesn’t think people have been paying enough attention.
This infatuation doesn’t bother me or his father. We live in a very hip-liberal neighborhood, many of our friends are gay, and idea of having a gay son isn’t something that bothers either of us. Our son is going to be who he is, and it is our job to love him. End of story.
He is also six. Six year olds get obsessed with all kinds of things. This might not mean anything at all. We always joke that he’s either gay, or we have the best blackmail material in the history of mankind when he’s a 16 year old straight boy. (Take that naked bath time pictures!)
Then the other day we were traveling across the state listening to the Warblers album (of course), and in the middle of Candles, my son pipes up from the back seat.
“Mommy, Kurt and Blaine are boyfriends.”
“Yes, they are,” I affirm.
“They don’t like kissing girls. They just kiss boys.”
“That’s true.”
“Mommy, they are just like me.”
“That’s great, baby. You know I love you no matter what?”
“I know…” I could hear him rolling his eyes at me.
When we got home I recapped this conversation to his Dad, and we stood simply looking into each other’s eyes for a moment. Then we smiled.
“So if at 16 he wants to make a big announcement at the dinner table, we can say ‘You told us when you were six. Pass the carrots’ and he’ll be disappointed we stole his big dramatic moment,” my husband says with a laugh and hugs me.
Only time will tell if my son is gay, but if he is I am glad he’s mine. I am glad he has been born into our family. A family full of people who will love and accept him. People who will never want him to change. With parents who will look forward to dancing at his wedding.
And I have to admit, Blaine would be a really cute son-in-law.
Best parents ever! I saw this earlier today and thought about reblogging it, but I didn’t. Once one of my friends randomly reblogged it, it was destiny that I should too.
(via colaptesauratus)
…would you still accept him for who he is or would you turn it against him? My best friends always accept me for who I am. However, there are still best friends who question themselves about their friendship whether or not to stay with their gay friends, and I think that’s beyond messed up.
I'm a senior studying journalism, leadership, and African studies at the University of Minnesota.
