I still reflect back on a day many years ago when I was working in the ICU. A person had come in with a suicide attempt and was on life support. They were on a ventilator and medications to keep them going. Thankfully, this time, the overdose was recoverable, it would just take a few days. After evaluating the patient, I walked down the hallway and was approached by their partner. They were in a gay relationship. The patient's partner was distraught, as would be expected. I was reassuring and calmed their worst fears. I then got a huge hug.
This was before I publicly transitioned and it surprised me the amount of caring and love that was there. I don't know the circumstances for the reason on the suicide attempt. However, I do know the risk of suicide is verified higher in LGBTQIA+ individuals and frequently centered around acceptance and/or understanding.
There have always been and will always be LGBTQIA individuals, though the terms and phrasing has changed over the centuries. Depending on the culture, perspectives on LGBTQIA individuals have ranged from absolute hostility to reverence with various reasons for these justifications.
We currently live in an era where we are rapidly learning the reasons behind the existence of LGBTQIA individuals, and it is frustrating the current cultural paradigm. A lot of people don't want this information or change. They try to reference history, religion, culture, tradition and old research or science as justifications for not changing. Many try to weaponize poor research or manipulate data to justify their positions. However, as time marches forward and more information and data materialize, the poor studies and manipulation is absolutely inundated and overwhelmed. There is no "political agenda" with this. The reality of humankind is diversity and is inherent as part of our development and creation. All one needs to do is marvel at the incredible complexity of our genetic makeup and development. While we need to recognize there is groupings of individuals on the pathways of "male and female." We need to see better the incredible majesty of the similarities and differences we are. There are absolutely internal processes of the body that we do not always see externally that lead to someone being LGBTQIA.
I believe there are ways to honor the better parts of our history and traditions, while also accepting groups of people who have been persecuted and harmed by the worst parts of our history and traditions.
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