Lyrical Lesbians

Were they really or were they not?  Who knows, who really cares.  There's a t.A.T.u. song called 'Not Gonna Get us'  which in its day was quite huge even with me although the reason everyone else loved it was for the two female Russian singers who in their music video for 'All The Things She Said' had kissed.  For me however it was the lyrics that I loved - the most meaningful of which which I shall share now:


Starting from here, let's make a promise
You and me, let's just be honest
We're gonna run, nothing can stop us
Even the night that falls all around us

Soon there will be laughter and voices
Beyond the clouds over the mountains
We'll run away on roads that are empty
Lights from the airfield shining upon you


By now you should probably have concluded that a lot of the music I like isn't really for the Music itself but rather for the lyrics and the use of language, the expression, the motivation and the emotion behind those words. This song, co-writtenby one of the Russian Girls, Elena 'Lena' Kiper and in my mind serves as an explanation of the desire to run away and escape peoples' expectations.  I think this song came about directly off the back of the Lesbian image that t.A.T.u had portrayed and whether or not that image was real is irrelevant the simple apparent truth that they had become trapped by it served as the motivation for the desire to escape.

I was a teenager at the time and I knew my sexuality, it didn't help however that they were Lesbians and everyone seemed to 'like' them it actually made my head spin that they were somehow seen more acceptable to my peers than two guys - this lead to me, for many years believing Lesbians were the gays who got off easy.   Thankfully this misconception was later dashed and I was educated on the truth, by lesbian friends and by my membership of the NUS LGBT.  I remember the conversations with many members one year at conference and the issues of bullying and persecution etc that Lesbians also faced as well as Gay men - it has to be said I was never so disheartened to be proven wrong part of me actually hoped that my misconceptions were true and they did have an easier life.

This post has come about after a series of conversations with a lesbian friend who as of late has seen a lot of male attention and the foremost taunt she receives so regular is the echo of that for Gay men "you just haven't met the right <insert opposite sex here> yet", or worse still "you just need a good fucking".  This post isn't aimed at anyone I know, it is aimed at any young Gay Men or Women or anyone LGBT, prejudice and stereotypes exist yes, but thankfully that's all they are - warped simplified views of life.  No truer are these stereotypes than those that state that all straights are bigoted, neither of these are true.  You will meet genuine people in life sooner or later who won't care what sexuality you are, and they themselves may be any sexuality at all.

It gets better it really does.

To anyone Gay or Straight or whatever your sexuality, if you know someone young who is growing up who may or may not be bullied, subjected to abuse, is different or even those that appear completely 'normal' I would ask you just to say one thing to them - tell them how proud of them you are and that you will always love them and be there for them if they ask for your help.  The worst that can happen is that they will look at you like you are a little odd or that you've gone a bit funny.  The best that can happen is that you could save someone's life by giving them hope.