The sexuality clause

I'm neither here or there when it comes to homosexuals. I just hate the word; it's downright awful.

The one thing I hate more is having to declare it. To be defined only by your sexuality is an insult.

A few months ago at a business seminar I was introduced to wonderful young man. He said straight away  "Hi, I'm Nick, I'm homosexual", ho hum with a sigh, I said "Hi, pleased to meet you Nick, I'm Sjorcha and I wear purple underpants". He could only let out a strained chuckle, obviously not impressed or just didn't get it.
When it comes to people, I'm interested in them as a person, not their sexual preferences. I have many friends fall into both categories, a lot of my family on dad's side are homosexuals, people around me. I don't care. I love and cherish them for who they are as a person.

My dad though absolutely hated homosexuals, he was vehement. It was the only time my normally calm, loving, generous dad hit the roof.  The one character trait about him that to this day I can't understand; did he not grow up in a house full of homosexuals, bisexuals and heterosexuals. An avante garde, bohemian upbringing that turned him into a prim and proper conservative family man?

When my youngest nephew was 3, we had a family party for one of the kids birthdays. My dad took one look at his grandson who came dressed in the most prettiest pink frilly dress, lacy socks and shiny black patent shoes, he jumped in his car, drove off and didn't return till late into the night when he was sure my brother was gone along with the offending grandson. I personally thought my nephew was playing dress ups, we all had an inkling about my nephew, but no one said a thing, after all he was only 3.
When dad returned, he just stammered out "That kid is gay! a poofter!" Harsh as it was to say at the time, but yes my dad was right, 16 years later my nephew blurts out in an argument with his dad about an unrelated issue "Dad, I'm gay!". We all replied uncannily in unison "yeah we know, we have always known".
For my own dad, he despaired about his grandson and sadly refused to bond with him. Yet my dad's own mother was an open and very controversial bisexual. Of all her own 8 children and the other 6 children that my grandfather sired to various other women, who all lived together in one open community, dad was the only one who came to despise the living arrangements.
My grandmother was the matriarch of the community, the head 'wife', though none were legally married to my highly famous artist grandfather.  My grandmother also had sexual relationships with a few of the women within their unique family throughout the years, with one 'aunt', it was a lifelong loving relationship.

To me, my grandmother was wickedly awesome!

Travelling to Europe in my youth for the opening of my grandfathers art academy. After the bronze statue of my grandmother was unveiled in the front gallery, I climbed the statue, to kiss it's cheeks whispering into the ear that could not hear "I will love you always". Stepping down, I repeated the words to the real woman whom I adored, with a kiss and a hug. Arms wrapped over each others shoulders, and with 'aunt' joining us later we toured the grounds before she was whisked away for interviews.

It's was only fitting that she stood there, albeit in statue form, in front of the art institution named after the man she stood behind and spearheaded his career. She was the woman behind the man. My grandfather, who as an artist was brilliant, but as a businessman and self promoter, was as useless as windows in a basement. Without her, there was never going to be the artist as the world knew him.

Years after her death, interviewed by a reporter compiling stories on grandchildren of famous people, he asked what was the impact of my grandmothers notorious bisexuality had on me, to which I replied "None, it is as normal to me as someone making Tea and Toast for breakfast". He actually quoted that in the article.
As a charismatic woman of remarkable inner strength, tenacity, gusty determination, an innovative entrepreneur, she was an enigma. It's those qualities that she possessed that made the most impact on me as a child growing up, as a young woman, as a mother and now.

For my grandmother "I will love you always".