Finishing up the month of October also means that LGBTQ+ history month too is coming to a close. But thats not to say the support and awareness from Myself, My team and the 'Label for Love' has to come to an end. By altering our narrative, notions and awareness I strongly believe we can be on the right side of change and continue the positive progression of the LGBTQ+ community.
Here are a few ways we together can Stand Up, Stand Out, and Be Proud; now and forever.
STAND UP | STAND OUT | BE PROUD
Create LGBTQ+ friendly spaces
Continue to learn about LGBTQ+ history, lives and experiences
Continue to uplift LGBTQ+ voices
Understanding the proper use of pronouns
Showing ongoing support to family, friends, peers and even strangers who are apart of the community
With implementing Stand Up, Stand Out, Be Proud into our daily lives, we can make immense positive change. I'd like to share with you one of My staff stories.
Jessies Story.
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We had this regular - real classic old white guy who had been in the construction industry for his whole working career, only drunk beer & was quite homophobic with a sprinkle of misogynist. Sitting at the bar having his normal rant on how the world is messed up & the topic of the day was "the gays" & how they're 'changing the normal' & 'ruining everything'.
I've bitten back with the whole "imagine being beaten, excluded from your family & shunned for being in love with your wife" conversation. At first I was real mad & then I realised he just didn't understand. I started to calm down & try explaining to him why it's far from a bad thing to love who you love & how uncomfortable it must be to be scrutinized for that. After a while, he somehow found it offensive in what I was saying & the end of the conversation didn't go down well so he left & didn't come back for a few days.
About 2 weeks later he comes back with his son... who's gay! This regular had never once mentioned his son to me! This regular APOLOGISED for what he was saying the previous week & said that I opened his eyes, put himself in his sons shoes & recognised how misunderstood his son must've felt growing up with him as a dad. He introduced me to his son as "the person who made him stop & think".
You don't have to know someone in the community to stand up for injustice, say something & educate people. Just because something might not directly affect you, it's the power of recognising when an individual or a group needs help.
The 'Label for Love' is an imperative contribution on behalf of Mr. Consistent as positive queer representation in business and media is absolutely necessary. Not only does it prompt understanding but it aids the people to feel united, equal and allows for direction into a society with less prejudice towards LGBTQIA+ people.
To show the ongoing support on behalf of the team at Mr. Consistent, I will be submitting a letter to the Australian Bureau of Statistics regarding the LGBTQ+ community and why there is no proper representation within the census. As the census aids decisions on healthcare, education and community needs, the entirety of the Australian population deserves representation. By participating in this months custom 'Label for Love' Margarita; you will be assisting the team at Mr. Consistent in standing up, standing out and standing proud by showing your support for the community.
Continue to celebrate the LGBTQ+ community and showing your support with this LGBTQ+ inspired playlist!