A Conversation


Last night I was working alongside a guy I had never met before and in between jobs we got chatting about our respective lives .
Job histories, places we have lived , grand kids, Bulldogs, the city of New York, getting married, we covered a few topics over the course of a few hours, and before I left for home, he turned to me and said
" Isn't it wonderful that we live in the here and now"
I asked him what he meant by that remark and he explained thus
" a few years ago, I never would have believed I would ever have had a conversation with a bloke about getting married to another bloke!"
" and now you have!" I said
" and it's  about bloody time" he said with a smile.

*the video, I have posted before, is an award winning tv advert from Australia

62 comments:

  1. Anonymous10:35 am

    And this Australian has never seen the video before and I really don't like it. I may be the almost wholesome grumpy old uncle now, but I wasn't always so, and much to partner's annoyance, on my family Face Book I posted photos of me in drag. Yes, gay men can fit a stereotype, but not all do. I am sure the men in videos from Berlin I have seen are perfectly nice when interacting with neighbours.

    Sorry John, but the concept of lovely gay men who would not hurt a fly and are so respectable does not rub well with me.

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    1. Oh dear........I guess the concept of nice people whatever gender or sexuality they may possess makes my day!
      I understand that many gay people hate the idea of heterosexualizing ( sp?) being queer . Some hate the perceived sanitizing of a culture which has an appeal to them as being subversive.
      I understand all that.
      My point of the post is to underline just how far things have come for ( us) and for others who have witnessed the change and have embraced it.

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    2. Andrew, my oldest son is the blonde version of that nice young man in the vid... at least until he sees bullying. (Of any kind.)
      Second son is a drag queen, and a damn good one, who speaks his mind loudly and forcefully... and is the best hospice nurse I know.
      Daughter is bi and doesn't hide from anyone or anything.
      Third son is asexual and proud of it, and just as proud of his sisters and brothers.
      Every step forward is just that, a step forward. It doesn't need to be the One True Step, to bring all the steps together and in the darkness bind them; just needs to be respectful and moving forward.
      You remind me a bit (in this instance at least, I'm no clairvoyant, lol) of my second son... who takes after me, or so I'm told, although trying to wear his 4" heels would be suicidal of me!
      They make him a bit over a foot taller than me. I really hate that, especially when he rests his elbow on my head...

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    3. Jac
      Bet family parties are a hoot in your house!

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    4. Oh they are John, most definitely, and I wouldn't change a thing! =D

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    5. Hi Andrew. Nothing wrong with expressing your opinion. Rachel

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    6. Most Australians, who were online at the time the vid came out, saw it. Musta been two years ago now.
      Driving into town with my son back then, I asked him what he thought about marriage equality. As a 16 year old he just didn't get why 'our' generation are so angsty about it.
      The next generation of kids are very cool. All power to them.

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  2. Anonymous10:44 am

    @Andrew,
    Have you ever heard of 'live and let live'?
    Or for that matter, 'If you have nothing nice to say, better to say nothing at all'.
    Oh, sorry, I forgot, you're an Australian man, all testosterone and bad attitude!
    Pay him no attention John, he's a moron!

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    Replies
    1. He has a point.....though I wonder just why " respectable" gay men " stick in his craw?
      Perhaps you could clarify that Andrew?

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  3. I loved this short film and that in this country we have the discrimination act.

    Sol x

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  4. Well I thought that was a lovely ad...to me it spoke of being human , falling in love and being in a supportive relationship. It sounds as if Andrew may have had some bad experiences in the past...I can only speak from my own experience, and so far, I've found that whether someone is nice or nasty has more to do with them as a person rather than their sexual orientation, gender, religion, politics etc.

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  5. These positive changes are heartening. We all know about the nasty side of life; having something good to share helps us all be stronger in the face of it.

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  6. It is wonderful, all things considered.

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    Replies
    1. The guy I was talking to was a chap in his late sixties.
      I was amused at his ( seemingly) positive and genuine pleasure at having a conversation ( with all of those eureka moments ) that he has never had before

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  7. @andrew - sod off, nasty old queen!

    times are a-changing; even as the h8ers in this country scream loud, their voices are drowned out by those of us who are forward-thinking. and our voices are LOUDER.

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  8. that was a lovely advert. However you cannot please everyone in this world of ours. There is always going to be people who disagree. That's what makes this world of ours a very interesting place to live in.

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  9. Those awards were well-deserved.
    The film simply shows the universality of love. Why should it be limited to one group?

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  10. Nice video. It's astonishing how much attitudes have changed in my lifetime. When I was a kid, it was still a crime to be gay.

    And I know the Sydney Luna Park very well!

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  12. Marty said pretty much what I was going to. I have a lovely friend who has always rather shyly described herself as 'batting for the other side', afraid to say more because of the prejudice she has experienced in the past. Her beaming smile as, at a local 'do' not so long ago, she introduced her partner to a group of people with the words 'Have you met my wife?' was one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen.

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    1. The power of that simple line...a line that has been throw away by so many men over so many years eh?

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  13. It's about time attitudes changed, some more than others. It sounds like you had a & lovely & pleasant conversation. x

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  14. I'm glad you focus on the positive and your right things have changed so much for the better. I've a gay mate and he's constantly coming up with antigay pages and websites because he's looking for them. You'll find hate anywhere you look for it but hopefully the opposite is true as well.

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    Replies
    1. Perhaps I am too sugary kev......

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    2. Don't worry I have a sweet tooth!

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  15. Anonymous1:59 pm

    It's a lovely video John and it sounds like you had a lovely chat with your co worker.

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  16. All right. I'm all teared up.
    I have so many gay/lesbian/transgendered people in my family and circle of beloveds and these changes are thrilling and beautiful and yes, yes, yes! It is time. Past time. Bless.

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  17. Did you watch Call the Midwife on Sunday (or on iplayer)? I have to watch it on iplayer as my husband and son keep referring to it as Call the placenta and find it disgusting. The attitude in the past towards homosexuality was shocking and so narrow minded.

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    1. Not a programme I follow.....no zombies in it

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    2. SusanM - and that 'past' is not that long ago which makes me shudder.

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  18. I smile every day because of how things have changed!

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  19. John- I am linking your blog today on my post. Instead of asking permission, I am begging forgiveness and I hope that is okay.

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  20. Lovely video. Love is wonderful, whoever it is between.

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  21. It is pretty amazing how far things have come . My mom grew up in the 50s and had a best friend that was gay. I can only imagine how happy she would be if she were alive now to see people being treated like people and not "outcasts of society".
    Then again, if half of these so called God fearing, vanilla sex folks ever saw what went down in some bedrooms, they would clutch way more than their pearls. ;-)

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    1. Well your mom sounds a cracking woman.
      To have a gay mate in the 50s was bleeding progressive

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  22. A good video, even if I did see the end coming. I think the most important thing we can all do is show tolerance to any attitude as best we can, whether it be about our sexuality, faith, gender, wealth or whatever. Some people agree or disagree wholeheartedly with various opinions, it doesn't necessarily make them bad, just of a different opinion.

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  23. Wandering in from a friend's blog---gather---and I'm captivated by just the first page---PIE!---chickens---dogs---Love---WALES---far green spaces and warm plaid cushions. How many chickens you GOT, Hon? I'd be at your garden fence like clockwork (on the days I could not persuade you to let ME reach a hand beneath the warm feathers to retrieve the eggs).

    I'm showing my country roots, far, far from your own, in the American DEEP South, with many, many creatures of our own. Now we're in the city somewhat, way in the Heartland, reduced in number to family, a lazy high-and-tight-clipped Peke, and several barn cats and squirrels.

    Lovely blog.

    rachel.

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    1. Hello...I will have to call you Rachel2
      Lovely to have you aboard......chickens the number varies
      Around 40 perhaps! Xxx

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  24. PS I should have mentioned that our DD, DSIL and three GRANDS are all avid WD fans, and you'd hoot at the Halloween pics---quite good makeup and costumes, and the ten year old as a creditable Zombie NURSE, white cap and all.

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  25. Like Andrew I have never seen that particular Get Up ad. And how I wish our political parties would come on board.

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  26. I've been waiting a long time for the day when I can say "my wife," without anyone batting an eye. We're not there yet, not where I live, but I'm amazed how far we've come already.

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    1. One day Alison and it's not far away!

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  27. What a heartening conversation John. Interesting what Alison says, and I am sure she is right - just as the emancipation of woman has still a long way to go - but every step is a step in the right direction.

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  28. Anonymous7:32 pm

    Nice hug at the end.

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  29. Our son was 13 years old when he told us a year ago that he is gay. I am so very thankful that the world is the kind of one we live in today and not the one of 30 odd years ago when I was his age. He wants to get married one day and have a family and I am hopeful that he will.
    Lisa x

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    1. Lisa.....for a child to come out so young must mean he is secure, confident and loved x

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    2. Thank you, I hope all of those things are true.
      He and his dad have been working on starting up his own LGBT website so others have a place to go for support. Very proud of him.
      Lisa x

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  30. I've written about this on my own blog and commented about it on many others' blogs. The most important reason for being "out" is the normalizing effect it has on others. When we naturally talk about our lives as gay folk with straight folk they see how much we have in common, rather than dwelling on our differences. Cheers to you!!

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    1. Mark..well said......one day...all we will be......is just........folk!
      Thank you

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  31. About time is right!

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  32. I thought that advert was really rather lovely

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  33. I think @Mark said it.
    I have to remember to say this is my Daughters partner, I usually just introduce her by name. I really don't know who is who in their relationship to me they are just partners.
    The x does not talk about her at all. He has erased her from his life. What an ass.

    cheers, parsnip

    cheers, parsnip

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  34. It's so strange and wonderful to think that this level of equality is considered the "norm" now and that western countries which haven't legalized gay marriage are so behind. It's beginning to sound as if even the US may have it's hand forced by their supreme court. I'm surprised that Australia is not on board yet. Clive and I have no wish to marry, but I do appreciate being able to do so if we wish.

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  35. Lovely. It is a lucky age we live in and good to be reminded of that sometimes. Thanks John.

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