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Christa Hillhouse's avatar

There is no “obviously gay” anymore. I think it was saying “happy pride” to a stranger that made you appear straight 🤷😆

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Jeannie Ewing's avatar

Hi Amy,

Your nuanced essay today got me thinking about all the stereotypes we hold in our minds and how it's more beneficial not to assume anything about a person. Parenthood is one of those aspects, as you mention. When my daughter was born with a rare disease, I learned that every family looks different, and I have tried to refrain from quick judgments - and certainly comments - when in public. For example, my husband Ben and I were attending a glass art exhibit at our local museum, and the CEO greeted us. After saying hello, Ben said, "It's good to be out of the house for a while when you have five kids!" The CEO said, "Boy, I get that." Because he was an older gentleman, Ben assumed he was referring to grandchildren and said so. I turned beet red and walked away, as I heard the CEO say, "No, I mean I have young kids at home, too." It's one of those things where we can all learn not to leap to conclusions about people, and your essay made me think of that today.

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