Out of the blue, the other night, I remembered a life rule dating back to somewhere around second or third grade:
Don’t wear yellow on Thursdays. It means you’re Queer. Ugh, that is hard to write.
Now, don’t go “ballistically-politically-correct-bashing” on me. This rule, as far as I was concerned, had absolutely nothing to do with one’s gender -- at least in my naïve, “believe everything’s nice” brain of mine.
You see, because we were still just little kids living in a “Leave It To Beaver world,” (Don’t snicker. I said beaver. I also said I used to be naïve) I believe we took the word queer at face value. In other words, if one were to wear yellow they would be odd or an outcast for the day. Funny how such simple little rules had so much power. In those days I would never wear yellow on Thursday. I did not want to feel out of place, look out of place and most of all I didn’t want to be called on it. I was a people pleaser. But today, even after having my “colors done” and realizing bright yellow is not my best color, I would absolutely go out of my way to wear a Gorton’s Fisherman rain slicker with pants and boots to match. I’d even throw in the bright yellow rain hat to “top” it off just to defy the little troublemakers who made up such a stupid rule. I would go to school looking odd, out of place and fit in only with the nerdy little kids that were dressed by their mothers who’d never heard of the rule.
At that age, I no more knew what homosexuality was than I knew how babies were made. It wasn’t in my brain, my thinking, or my heart. And, for the most part, in 1959, it wasn’t in the brain of most children. Life was simpler. I am grateful that I still remember the simple and basic grasp of life I had as a child. I do realize that not all children get the opportunity to experience life from a wide-eyed, trusting point of view. Some are slammed into the reality of an ugly life. For me, I had the opportunity to take things at face value and simply love others for themselves.
Now that I know what the rule meant, “ if you wear yellow, it proves you’re gay,” I know I still would have been confused. My child-like logic would have wondered why it wasn't okay to advertise one's happiness. After all, yellow IS a sunny, happy color!
I think we all should start wearing yellow on Thursdays just to confuse the homophobics of the world and to stand in unity with the “odd folk.”
I think it would be an absolutely wonderful idea for the world to admit that each one of us is odd/queer in some way and that odd does not mean deviate, weird, lower-class, or any other label people fling around. It would be electrifying if each of us could get in touch with the eccentric within and embrace the freedom of being unconventional – even to the point of making “wearing yellow” a conventional practice for Thursdays. Thursday IS queer day. Don’t leave anyone out!
After all, who are the queer ones here? Isn’t it queer to believe that another person’s sexuality is any of anyone's business? It seems evident to me that an almighty creator had one thing in mind and it has been shouted and defended throughout the ages. Love one another. Pure and simple, love each other. It isn’t just a Christian thing. Love is not for “pansies” -- no pun intended. One of love’s greatest actions is living the truth even when you are deemed “Queer” by the rest of the world.
Yellow could become the symbol of embracing one another just as we are; the warmth of the color, radiating into the world. We’d wear yellow ribbons to support the demise of this social cancer we have created; determining that anyone who does not share our personal understanding of love, commitment and companionship are indeed queer and unworthy of love, redemption and heaven itself. That it's even a question of redemption is an oddity in itself.
Go ahead. I dare you to wear yellow on Thursdays. Personally, I can’t wait to go shopping.
Slicker Store – here I come!
Don’t wear yellow on Thursdays. It means you’re Queer. Ugh, that is hard to write.
Now, don’t go “ballistically-politically-correct-bashing” on me. This rule, as far as I was concerned, had absolutely nothing to do with one’s gender -- at least in my naïve, “believe everything’s nice” brain of mine.
You see, because we were still just little kids living in a “Leave It To Beaver world,” (Don’t snicker. I said beaver. I also said I used to be naïve) I believe we took the word queer at face value. In other words, if one were to wear yellow they would be odd or an outcast for the day. Funny how such simple little rules had so much power. In those days I would never wear yellow on Thursday. I did not want to feel out of place, look out of place and most of all I didn’t want to be called on it. I was a people pleaser. But today, even after having my “colors done” and realizing bright yellow is not my best color, I would absolutely go out of my way to wear a Gorton’s Fisherman rain slicker with pants and boots to match. I’d even throw in the bright yellow rain hat to “top” it off just to defy the little troublemakers who made up such a stupid rule. I would go to school looking odd, out of place and fit in only with the nerdy little kids that were dressed by their mothers who’d never heard of the rule.
At that age, I no more knew what homosexuality was than I knew how babies were made. It wasn’t in my brain, my thinking, or my heart. And, for the most part, in 1959, it wasn’t in the brain of most children. Life was simpler. I am grateful that I still remember the simple and basic grasp of life I had as a child. I do realize that not all children get the opportunity to experience life from a wide-eyed, trusting point of view. Some are slammed into the reality of an ugly life. For me, I had the opportunity to take things at face value and simply love others for themselves.
Now that I know what the rule meant, “ if you wear yellow, it proves you’re gay,” I know I still would have been confused. My child-like logic would have wondered why it wasn't okay to advertise one's happiness. After all, yellow IS a sunny, happy color!
I think we all should start wearing yellow on Thursdays just to confuse the homophobics of the world and to stand in unity with the “odd folk.”
I think it would be an absolutely wonderful idea for the world to admit that each one of us is odd/queer in some way and that odd does not mean deviate, weird, lower-class, or any other label people fling around. It would be electrifying if each of us could get in touch with the eccentric within and embrace the freedom of being unconventional – even to the point of making “wearing yellow” a conventional practice for Thursdays. Thursday IS queer day. Don’t leave anyone out!
After all, who are the queer ones here? Isn’t it queer to believe that another person’s sexuality is any of anyone's business? It seems evident to me that an almighty creator had one thing in mind and it has been shouted and defended throughout the ages. Love one another. Pure and simple, love each other. It isn’t just a Christian thing. Love is not for “pansies” -- no pun intended. One of love’s greatest actions is living the truth even when you are deemed “Queer” by the rest of the world.
Yellow could become the symbol of embracing one another just as we are; the warmth of the color, radiating into the world. We’d wear yellow ribbons to support the demise of this social cancer we have created; determining that anyone who does not share our personal understanding of love, commitment and companionship are indeed queer and unworthy of love, redemption and heaven itself. That it's even a question of redemption is an oddity in itself.
Go ahead. I dare you to wear yellow on Thursdays. Personally, I can’t wait to go shopping.
Slicker Store – here I come!
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