Human Rights

They say we have the right to marry

So we should be happy,

They ignorantly ask

Isn’t that enough?

But they don’t understand

The strange fear

Of holding your partners hand in public,

The looks from mothers

As they rush their kids past

Shielding them from our love.

They don’t understand being afraid

Of telling your loved ones

About the one you love,

Hiding it away

As if it is wrong.

They don’t understand

The way the comfort of each others arms

When spending time alone

Vanishes as soon as we step outside.

They don’t understand

The awkward pause in conversation

When mentioning your partners gender

As we see their face change

Along with their mindset.

They don’t understand

The stereotypes we face

Being told we don’t look gay

So it couldn’t possibly be true,

But what does gay look like?

They don’t understand

The denial their family goes through

Saying hurtful things,

Like “it’s a phase”

Because they can’t accept the reality.

They don’t understand

Having to come out

Not just once

But almost daily

To each new person we meet

And the way that each time

It doesn’t get easier to say.

They don’t understand

How much it hurts,

Even the very toughest of us

Have at one point

Struggled greatly

And fought their own feelings.

They don’t understand

The society that they have created for us,

One where we have to celebrate

Our right to marry

When it’s been given freely

To others for years.

They don’t understand

Because they are not us.