The hardest kind of discrimination to explain to someone who doesn't experience it is the subtle shit. The big stuff, most people get (if they’re people worth having around) since it is obviously much worse. But the small things that happen on a daily basis—the microaggressions and the casual homophobia—can really start getting to you too. People looking at you like you’re an alien. People intentionally misgendering you. I’ve heard it called "death by a thousand paper cuts," and that name is very fitting. (The thing that really gets under my skin is when people assume my wife is my sister. It's even worse when they get mad after I tell them they’re wrong.)
For poet, artist and director Sean Lìonadh, the last straw was a woman telling him and his boyfriend "I’ve got nothing against gays, but do you have to do it in front of my kids?"
That interaction, small and common for queer people everywhere, inspired him to write the poem "Time for Love," which became the basis for a beautiful short film of the same name. Time for Love explores the missiles dodged by a gay couple on a walk through the park. An everyday activity, something that should be peaceful and borderline boring, becomes an obstacle course of side-eyes and sour stares. The film explores the assumption of normal, challenging the idea that being queer is outside of that assumption and questioning where that assumption comes from in the first place.
"See, normality is a crowd-sourced fantasy but it turns every single silent person in this park into an enemy."
A film like this needs to be seen. The emotions are strong, tight, and will strike a chord in anyone whose love has ever been up for the judgment of others. But besides the negative elements, there is hope, even in these few precious moments. It’s powerful to watch, and amazingly well acted and shot. It’s also a tear jerker, especially if this is a long walk you have made with your significant other. So be sure to have some tissues handy before you settle in! (And maybe don’t watch it on the bus...)
Watch Time for Love in the video below, and for more of Sean Lìonadh's work, like him on Facebook and check out his official website!
