In recent week’s news of shootings, tragedies, bomb attacks, I believe we all needed a break from the harsh reality. What a breath of fresh air to see that truly #LoveWins.
I remember my mother telling me, once she walked alongside my cousin (who came out of the closet as a lesbian in her teens) in the streets of Taipei. Within 15 minutes, she heard three different murmurs from strangers passing by and uttered,” Look at her, is she a boy? A girl?” “What is she?” It was a mere 15 minutes, my mother always said, and imagine what my cousin has been going through all her life.
Empathy. Open-mindedness. Compassion. #LoveWins.
On Friday, the U.S. Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage. Our nation’s joyous celebration has affected the entire world. Though positive reactions exuded, I couldn’t help but wonder: What took so long?
As a traveler constantly hopping from one country to another and as someone who partly grew up in San Francisco – the mecca of rainbow flags – I’ve always known that love crosses barriers. Love comes in all forms, all colors, and as our country showed this week, love is genderless.
I was once very close to my cousin, and she used to dream of moving to the States, not to legally marry but simply to be in a society where she can be accepted for who she is. When she told me this years ago, I wanted to tell her there are several parts of the country where I could never go without meeting stereotypes as an Asian woman, let alone her, as an Asian lesbian. Years ago, I wanted to tell her that America wasn’t as democratic and free of judgement as she might have perceived.
This week, I’m thankful that I can tell her otherwise.
Because of our constitution’s monumental verdict, the rest of the world has echoed. From Twitter, Instagram to media platforms across the globe, people are starting to look at where else needs more work on LGBT acceptance. Being a Taiwanese, of course I looked at Asia. Not one country in this massive continent allows same-sex marriage. Not even the extremely developed nations such as: Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, not even my home country Taiwan. Traditions, religion, societal expectations all play into parts of this gridlock. Good news is, the power of American constitution and culture may just be the key that unlocks judgement. Hence, the gravity of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision, not only was imperative for Americans but it forced other countries to stare into their own mirrors.
In recent week’s news of shootings, tragedies, bomb attacks, I believe we all needed a break from the harsh reality. What a breath of fresh air to see that truly #LoveWins.
With love,
