Arrow - A Celebration of Love

Life is hard enough as it is. Existence, in many ways, is suffering. Obviously, some have it much worse than others, and that matters, but at some point in our lives we all experience pain, disease, loss, betrayal. We struggle with existential angst, with the fear of meaninglessness, with questions of character, with the impending coming of oblivion. We struggle to pay rent, to put food on the table, and to have enough energy at the end of the day to make a positive difference in the world.

And we don't all find love. Few things make the loneliness of existence bearable, and perhaps none is as effective at combating a sense of meaninglessness as having someone with whom you can let your guard down and allow yourself to be vulnerable, knowing that you'll be safe in their arms.

Love is not guaranteed. But if you're gay, transgender, etc., you also have to deal with small-mindedness, with intolerance, with hatred, with abuse, with public condemnations, with policies that would deny you the rights and protections that most of us get to take for granted. For you, an outward expression of love can become the reason your family and your community disowns you. On any given day, the mere act of hugging or kissing your partner, or even just holding their hand, could be the difference between going home at the end of the day or being beaten or killed.

Today, in this blog, we celebrate love, and your right to exist, and to be who you are.

And below is the back-story behind this powerful performance:

I also can't help but think of Leonardo's famous Vitruvian Man, and somehow that seems rather appropriate...