We were at a concert yesterday evening and, this being Pride Month and everything, I thought about how much has changed since we went out the first time, twelve years ago.

We were holding hands in the concert hall and nobody even blinked. We weren’t even noticing it until I saw one of the violinists giving a little peck on his husband’s lips. Good times !

Twelve years ago, Au was anxious to be labeled a lesbian, she didn’t know how to behave on our dates, we couldn’t kiss outside our homes because people would talk, and holding hands was out of the question because we weren’t teenagers anymore and could not pretend to be BFFs going out.

These anxieties had been part of my whole life before, but I was accustomed to it, and didn’t care anymore, but I was cautious in public and understood what Au felt.

Today ? There are jerks, sure. But who would want to make a comment and be seen as insensitive and stupid these days ? Our neighbors know we are a couple, our whole town knows it and nobody cares (or rather, nobody cares enough to say anything about it).

Good times.

-em.