It’s been a tough week, especially for LGBT folks. In times like this, I always turn to music.
The day after the Orlando shooting, this song came up on my MP3 player. Even though it’s not about pride specifically, it’s an anthem of strength that I put on repeat play:
A friend told me that one of my songs helped her through the grief. I’m honored. It’s a song I wrote a few years ago and is still relevant today – “The world will change when they know who we are …”
Through my forty years of being an out-lesbian, I’ve encountered some pretty nasty stuff, from being asked to leave a stage because my music was too queer to marching in a pride parade where a protester had a gun. Cranking up the music has always helped me; some songs I listen to over and over again, gaining strength each time I hear it. This is one of those songs. John Calvi wrote it and I first heard Meg Christian sing it over thirty years ago. Suede does a really nice version of it:
“So let’s pass a kiss
and a happy sad tear
and a hug the whole circle round
for the ones who aren’t here
for the hate and the fear
for laughter, for struggle, for life”
Beautiful words, aren’t they?
Speaking to the Orlando tragedy specifically is this moving song from Pamela Means:
https://soundcloud.com/pamelameans/pamela-means-hands-up
This one hits close, too. It’s from one of my favorite songwriters, Cheryl Wheeler:
I’ll end with some upbeat songs. After you listen to them, go hug someone in your life who’s LGBT and tell them you’ll always stand with them.
Jamiebobamie 
Reblogged this on From Wicked To Wedded and commented:
music helps