Coming out and Children

This week has been an interesting week for us all in the GLBTIQ community. With same sex marriage rallies through out Australia fighting for the right of equal love and status, Jason Akermanis telling us to stay in the closet and the story of NSW minister David Campbell being filmed leaving a gay sauna.

I attended the same sex rally in Melbourne and it was my first of such event. At first I was unsure of what I would be confronted with, but when I got there I was thrilled to see the diversity of people there gay, straight, black,white, old and young.A huge thank you must go the organisers, as without them these events would not be possible, and to have Ian Mckellen as a guest speaker was the icing on the cake. We need to keep fighting for the right of equality. It was great to see mums and dads with children waving the rainbow flag. I had wished that I had dragged my own children along to see that GLBTIQ community is no different to any other community in Australia. I will make sure that they will be dragged to the next, even if they are kicking and screaming. (JOKE). They will love it, as much as I will by showing off my rainbow family to the world. I think it is important for children to see the world through their parents eyes sometimes and get a feeling of the community they belong to. My children have had some of exposure to the gay community, but mainly through staying at home with me and my partner on the alternate weekends. We are a normal family in the sense that the kids get to go the park, movies and play with family and Friends of ours. We tend to try and work out when is the best time to tell me or show them the other world. I personally believe that the time is when we adults are comfortable with ourselves to be in the community and to be a part of it. I have been in the community for awhile, and now my children are old enough to understand the difference between living mum's straight house and dad's gay house, it is time to let them have freedom in the gay community and to be welcomed into it.

Jason Akermanis has really put a damper of the buzz I was feeling after the rally this week, with his comments regarding gay AFL players coming out. I guess we sometimes need to be brought back to reality that homophobia is still present in the community and at a high level. I have spoken to a number of people about this and some have defended Jason's comment, saying that he is not homophobic, he is just making a point as a columnist. If he was making these comments as a columnist he surely would not make comments advising gay players to stay in the closet because it makes other feel uncomfortable, He should have made comments about supporting the coming out and getting the ones who are uncomfortable to talk about it. I think Jason was way off the mark, and he know he would get the reaction he did, as this is about him and not the gay community in general. I hope that this article and Jason's comments does stop anyone from coming out when they are ready.

On this point, the story of David Campbell. This highlights the world we live in. The media can be your best Friend and your worst enemy. I feel for David, as one who has lived a double life, trying to do the best for your family and trying to be who you should be. When you past that point of denial and trying to lead a double, you question yourself everyday as to who you really are, you are always looking for that identity status. You love your family because they give you a sense of structure in the eyes of everyone around, but deep down you are lost of structure, as you know what you are doing is wrong to yourself. This is not about any other person but yourself. It was David's choice to live his life like this and not for the media to expose it. I have read many comments in the media about David's situation and to hear that Channel 7 used the excuse that it was the public's right to know is wrong. This was a case of out to get dirt on him. Sexuality had nothing to do with his role in the government, and that the fact they said it was because he used a government to go to a sauna, is wrong. What about all the other ministers who have used their cars for things that their should not have, bet you won't hear about a minister using a car to go to church. no, it is because going to church is a good thing. The government is ruled by 2 things money and religion (banks and churches). Now the damage is done and David now has to start all over again to find his true self and inner strength to be able to move on from this as does his family. There are so many people in the situation and they just don't know what to do. They see it easier to stay in the situation they are in because they fear of hurting the ones that they love, by denying their own feelings for self.

Glockids - is here to help people in this situation and to help them find their true self, whether it is to stay, or to move on, it is the individuals choice not anybody elses, including the media.