It could happen to you

It was 1 AM and I couldn't sleep as I have just gotten into a fight with my boyfriend - to think about it again, the fight was really a bit a small un-important matter. So that midnight I browsed through youtube and several webs about gay culture, trying to seek some comfort that gays could be happy and whole as well. 

 

Then I stumbled this article by queerty.com, posting about a really heartbreaking video that went viral. And my, watching a really heart-breaking video alone after a fight with your boyfriend is not a good idea. 

 

The youtube video was about a guy, named Shane, who has just lost his loved one, Tom, due to an unfortunate accident. They were together for six years, they came out together after the first anniversary, and they shared a mortgage and they were business partners. Shane's family was very supportive of him, but Tom's was not just quite welcoming. After going back to his hometown for Christmas,  Tom had made clear: he didn't want anything to do with his family anymore as now he found his home with Shane. At their fourth year, Tom decided to give Shane a promise ring: that they'd get married to each other once it has become legal. 

 

There I stopped and I cried like a baby. 

The accident for sure was devastating for Shane. But that was not the sob story. Tom's family had denied Shane's right to attend the funeral, and they had taken everything that belonged to Tom and did everything to their power to deny  Shane's existence in their son's life. 

 

There I stopped again, and I cried like a baby. 

 

The message was clear: it could happen to any of us. Shane has dedicated his video to promote equality, and to promote love, so what has happened to him will become a part for better future for all the gays in the world. 

Suddenly I felt so small. So selfish. 

In my country here in Indonesia, gay is still living inside the closet, including me. There's no way I could come out to my family, because they wouldn't accept me the way I am. It pained me, but I think even when the things I can contribute to help Shane with his cause are very limited, I still could do something about it. 

So I wrote this. 

Please share this too if it touches your soul. 

Lets do something, however small it is. 

Here's the video: