Higher ground
I鈥檓 free.
Free from the incarceration of an emotionally abusive, Bible-thumping lunatic. I鈥檇 been blindsided. Fooled by the facade of a fundamentalist born-again, an emotionally barren delinquent pimping Jesus to disguise the manipulative, self-serving demons festering within.
I鈥檒l try not to bore you my cathartic rant. Suffice to say, I鈥檓 safely removed from my tormentor, and writing this column from a serene, yet clandestine location. I feel like I鈥檓 in witness protection.
If this experience has taught me anything, it鈥檚 that we must continue to rise above the banality of beige people infected with ignorance and hate; the religious bigots and homophobes who consider us fair game.
Radical religion is a bureaucracy I can do without.
Home is supposed to be where the heart is. It鈥檚 supposed to be a sanctuary. Never settle for less. If you find yourself in an abusive environment, get out. If you can鈥檛, take steps to make that happen. If you鈥檝e been isolated by familial homophobia or are immobilised by domestic violence, know there is a way out.
There鈥檚聽 simply no excuse for abuse 鈥� physical or emotional. Much like the discriminatory taunts we endure, the only real difference with the latter is there are no visible scars. We carry the pain within.
If you鈥檙e going through hell, keep going. Help is available. If you don鈥檛 know where to turn, organisations like Twenty10 and ACON鈥檚 AVP are a great start.
I鈥檓 still reeling from the ordeal. But I鈥檓 no victim.
The little tosser can rot in his own propaganda for all I care. Although I do occasionally romanticise about vengeance, or hearing he鈥檚 been arrested and locked in a cell where he belongs, living on gruel with an amorous cellmate named Early.
Then I realise that while I may have lost a few battles along the way, I鈥檝e won the war. I took the higher ground, hightailed it out of there, and I never have to look at that mean, snivelling little face ever again.
I鈥檓 proud of who I am. I鈥檓 proud to be gay. Homophobes are vile, ignorant and unhappy. But we are the happiest people in the world if we choose to be.
After all, the best revenge is living well.
Agreed David. Don’t get me started on the Australian Family Association, LOL.
Sorry for the delayed response. Crazy busy. Cheers for the comments everyone. Always welcome & appreciated xxd
Bravo well said!!
It must be so corrosive to the psyche for people like the Australian Family Association to spend so much of their time hating gays and thinking of ways to deny us human rights. They try to disguise their hate by professing love for children and putting their interests first. But anyone can see through that bullshit. Homophobes simply can’t accept gays for who they are and want to make them who they “should be”. And predictably, if that doesn’t work, overt hatred quickly takes over.
lol @ david and good on you damien!!!
This is brilliant in so many ways I do not know where to begin ! What a fabulous read !! Great to hear you overcame the situation as it is true that what doesn’t kill us makes us stronger !!!!
According to Damien “homophobes are vile, ignorant and unhappy.” Don’t forget though, that they have their bad points as well.
Your stories always inspire me.
It’s true, help is always available, all we have to do is reach out.
“After all, the best revenge is living well” – This almost brang a tear to my eye, that鈥檚 such a lovely (and realistic) thing to say!