This is a heart dump. I need to get this out before the rage I feel right now threatens to choke the humanity in me as much as I want to choke some of the beings that call themselves human right now.
A friend had the shit beat of her simply because she loves the same sex as her own. She is one of the the craziest, yet nicest people I know. She was beaten simply because of how she is wired to love and did not feel the need to hide it, to fear for it. She was beaten badly. Badly enough that we, her friends – fought to convince her, if she did not want to go to the police, to at least go to the hospital and have herself properly checked out.
“Live and let live is what they say right? She was lucky she was let live…” a now former…someone…(because I refuse to grant them the honorific of friend) of hers, quipped. It was said in such a way that we who heard it understood where their sympathies lay. It was not with the woman finally going to the ER.
WHAT?!
*Seeing Red* did not begin to describe the backlash that occurred from the rest of us when that gem was dropped. There was almost another person headed to the ER.
Yes, “Live and let live” includes the words live. It does NOT include the carte blanche to whip someone’s arse because that someone will live through it.
We take take all these steps forward as humans and then shit like this happens and we are forced to acknowledge how many, many, many more steps there are to go.
Life is hard enough for us all right now. How the fuck is this still happening?
It is one very pissed of St. Patrick’s Day over for me over here on Day 17 of the Slice of Life Writing Challenge for 2020.
Raivenne-lations 
I am sorry to hear about your friend. If ever there was a cause for righteous anger this is it. We all have the right to be ourselves…worship as we want…love whomever we want. Whatever happened to “Judge not lest ye be judged”? With what is going on we need to pull together and be there for each other. I can’t help but think that this is a wake up call for all of us. Yes, we still have so many steps yet to go.
Rai, I’m so sorry to hear about your friend. And can’t imagine anyone who purports to be a friend saying something as callous as the comment in your post. Ugh. So many damned steps to go.