It’s the time for wreaths on the door, egg nog and those fruitcakes everyone buys but no one eats. Earlier this week we wandered the West Village asking: What do you want for Christmas?
Reflecting on 2017, it’s been another rough year for our community, with marriage equality once again under siege, the White House no longer occupied by an ally, and LGBT folk across the country wondering where to turn for some good news.
Well as far as we could tell, the good news — the best news — is that we still have us. We have the rights we’ve secured (even though we’re continuing to have to defend them at every turn), and we have our solidarity. Members of our community are seen more and more often on the big and small screens, and hey, apparently the world is safe enough for gay people that even Barry Manilow thought it was time to come out.
Just one brief visit with all of the participants in this video let us know that so long as we have each other, we will always have hope. There are people included from different nations, ethnicities and religious backgrounds who are looking for gifts larger than themselves that will touch anyone who has a beating heart. There are also people who are looking to connect with loved ones far away; and still others who took our question delightfully literally and simply dreamed aloud for a moment about that gift they’ve been longing for over the past 300-plus days.
So we ask that you give them a moment of your time, then pause and reflect on your own wishes this holiday season. We may be under attack once again, but we’re intact, and our ability to be together — lesbian, bisexual, transgender, queer, daddies, twinks, bears and all the rest — is our greatest strength. See if watching this video doesn’t make you feel some hope for the New Year that’s just around the corner.
Last modified: March 19, 2018
