I have said a number of times on this blog, that activism for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender rights is changing, but even I never would have guessed that that would mean using a kiss to change the world. A very long kiss, that is. But that is what Matty Daley, 21, and Bobby Canciello, 19, chose to do over the weekend.
While the same-sex kiss might have raised some eyebrows, the support the pair received was enormous. Daley told Tonic that they “didn’t want to be just two kids trying to get attention,” so they created the Our Lips Are Sealed campaign to raise awareness for gay rights and to support The Trevor Project, a national organization focused on crisis and suicide prevention efforts among lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning (LGBTQ) youth.
This video clip is really moving in a way that few acts of activism are.
Now a kiss all by itself won’t end homophobia or crush whatever obstacles are placed to impede progress towards full equality. But this public selfless (??) act affected thousands and thousands who were there, or who tuned in to watch during or since the kiss.
One way to think about what is happening politically at the moment, is that the far right is stepping up their game and doing everything in their power to squash progressive steps forward that will benefit all, including LGBT’s. It may look like if they can be successful, our movement will be set back decades. On the other hand, perhaps they are fighting so hard because they are so close to being a dying movement of hatred. It is their last attempts are having any relevance, and equality will prevail sooner than we might imagine.
The choice between those two paths may be yours. What you do- how you get engaged, and what you are willing to do for Equality may make all the difference.