It Gets Better(ish)

So, yeah, it’s been 10 years. And, arguably, shit has gotten a lot better. I mean, lots of shit is still bad. But, yeah, progress had been made. I think what makes this skit work (besides SNL finally having enough out cast members to allow it to work) is how extraordinary and ordinary the act of coming out and living out as queer people actually is. Like, yeah, we came out. But we still have joint income taxes and divorces and all the problems previously reserved only for straight people. Like, yeah, our whole days aren’t spent marinating in what it means to be gay. Sometimes, we’re worried about the family iguana eating our face while we sleep.

Though, in all seriousness, since the It Gets Better project launched in late 2010, we have made significant, steady strides toward equality. Is it long overdue? Obviously. Did the last four years set us back? Definitely. But this is real, actual progress: same-sex marriage legalized (2015), workplace discrimination against LGBTQ people criminalized (2020, when RBG was still with us) and now for the first time HUD has barred housing discrimination for LGBTQ people (2021). That means we can find a place to live, find a place to work and find someone to marry freely (well, theoretically freely, bigots will continue to bigot) in America finally. And I have to believe the Equality Act will finally become a reality under Biden. It must.

So, yeah, it gets better. Now, you know, if the rest of the world would get better that’d be a big help.