Orneltec - Orneltec

(from my fic on ao3: Life is a Mystery)

Full drawing under the cut!

Pushing Daisies | 2x04 “Frescorts”

I'd just like to say sorry for the ask before about woke culture. It was quite wrong and inappropriate and Sorry for anything it caused.

My deepest apologies.

*rubs temples*

I'm going to give you the benefit of the doubt here, because you are on my blog, so you can't possibly be that awful. In which case I'm going to assume you're young, and that the majority of what you said in your ask was likely things you've overheard other people say, rather than your own thoughts. This would make sense as the points you were making were very disjointed.

Because of this, I'm going to try and do my best to counter the views you've been exposed to.

Pride isn't lovely and it isn't about acceptance. Lots of people, even people who attend Pride, don't know this. Pride began as a riot, a protest - a single voice that multiplied rapidly and said "enough." And if it is loud, it is because we were silenced for years. If it is too much, it is because we have lived our lives being told we were not good enough. We will continue to protest and shout until our kindred in every country around the world is free - there are places where it is okay to kill someone for being gay, and even in so-called 'tolerant' spaces there are kids who believe they would be better off dead than living their life authentically. And until that's no longer true, we will continue to be vibrant and visible - not because we want you to know who's in our bed but because we want the youth of tomorrow to know there's a future worth holding on for, that it can and does get better.

And as for being 'woke' - the definition of woke means being awake, being aware. To be anti-woke means you are making a choice not to be inclusive of others perspectives and experiences. It baffles me how anybody considers 'woke' to be a bad thing.

The inclusion of more LGBTQ+, female, non-white, disabled and neurodivergent people in film, TV and other media is nothing more than a long-overdue correction that more accurately reflects the world we live in. Personally, my entire friendship group is some flavour of queer or ND, so a show like Heartstopper reflects that almost exactly. A show featuring an all-black cast will reflect somebody's experience and life exactly. Just because this media doesn't reflect your exact experience does not mean it is unrealistic.

And I'd like you to consider what it might be like for a black gay woman as a young girl, never seeing themselves represented in any mainstream media, anywhere. What does that tell you, subconsciously, if you never see anybody that looks like you or feels like you? It tells you that you, too, should be hidden away. That you don't deserve to be seen, or to be heard. That you don't get to contribute, to take a seat at the table.

Representation matters. And if you can't see that, then I can guarantee that you are most likely cis and white and have seen yourself in every aspect of media since you were a wee baby. And if you watch a piece of media and are irritated or put off by the fact you can't relate because they're all queer - imagine what its been like for those of us who've waited decades to watch a show where we finally can relate.

Some links to help you educate yourself a little further are below and I hope I haven't wasted 45 minutes of my evening here. I have faith that you want to do better and be a better ally, or you wouldn't be here.

Love to you, and sorry I wasn't more patient before. I'm gay and tired, tired of fighting just to be heard.

Forbes

Map Shows Where It’s Illegal To Be Gay – 30 Years Since WHO Declassified Homosexuality As Disease

It's still illegal to be LGBT+ in 70 countries, and you could be given the death penalty in 12, as the world marks 30 years since "homosexua

BBC News

Heartstopper: 'How the series helped me open up about my sexuality in later life' - BBC News

The Netflix show may be aimed at teens but it has a special appeal for some older fans.

The Independent

Sainsbury’s defends Christmas advert featuring black family after trolls criticise them for being ‘woke’

‘We aim to represent a modern Britain’, says retailer

Psychology Today

Why Representation Matters and Why It’s Still Not Enough

Does representation really matter, and is it ever enough? We can learn from both personal experiences and empirical evidence.

I was in line at Aldi and this girl with two toddlers in front of me had her card declined and she looked so fucking sad and said “let me call my husband real quick” and it was only 18 dollars, so I just paid for it, and she was very sweet and then as she walked off, the lady behind me said `”You know that was probably a scam, right?” and like, even if it was, like what a sad fucking scam, right? 18 dollars at the Aldi. If you’re “scamming” me for some Tyson chicken and apple juice and cauliflower, then just take my fucking money. 

“A scam” people are fucking wild.