March 30, 2014 - Written by: Lauren Williams

After all, Love is Love

Yesterday, something awesome happened in England and Wales. Yesterday, same sex marriage became legal.

David Cameron, this is the first good thing you have done for this country. Well done.

We still have a long way to go of course – educating school children to try and stamp out prejudice. Even educating adults about one simple fact – whether couples are same sex or not, love is love.

It baffles me that, in 2014, people coming out as being gay is news. When Tom Daley let the world know that he had a boyfriend the media went crazy for it. It was all over the Twittersphere, it was the headline for every newspaper, online gossip column and news stream. And I didn’t get it – how was this news? Whether someone is gay, bi or transgender shouldn’t matter, but their overall happiness should.

I hear so many stories of parents who believe that they’ve failed in raising their child because that child is gay. But it’s not who they love that parenting should be judged on, but how. If they’re fearless and open and caring, it doesn’t matter who that affection is aimed at.

Next year, two of my favourite ladies are getting married to each other. They are so unbelievably fabulous and so unashamedly in love that their energy is infectious. They’re so perfect for each other that they make even me believe that love is out there. Their parents embraced the news with open arms and welcomed each significant other into their families with no questions and no prejudices.

When my friend came out, she said once that she’d never been with a woman before, but there was something about her now fiancée that drew her in. It wasn’t about gender, this was about being attracted to a person for who they were, not whether or not they had a penis. This was, and always will be, about love.

So yesterday was a good day to be English – yesterday, love in all it’s wonderful forms was celebrated.