Making Statements

I'm so non-confrontational it's like I can't even function. Anyway I'm trying to change that, to have stronger opinions and make them heard even if it pisses people off.

Anyway that's why I tied a rainbow ribbon to my backpack today: it's pride month, and I want to support the LGBTQ community in Israel. I feel the need to rationalize this decision so here goes:

People need to feel like they're being heard. People make judgments about the people around them. And if you're going around feeling like people around you are blind to your pain, then that's a shitty feeling. And I know that when an Israeli member of the community sees a woman with a head covering like mine, they might feel like i hate them, or just want to make their life difficult. And I don't, so I'm going to put a ribbon on my backpack so that people who see it will know that they have an ally.

And you know what? I just had that experience myself. Just now at the train station I saw a Haredi man with a little Israeli flag pinned to his lapel. He's saying "you might think I hate this country because of the way I dress, but I don't." And I appreciated that.