Celebrating pride, Father's Day and my father(s).

Celebrating pride, Father's Day and my father(s).

Father's Day is just around the corner this weekendYoga matsWe talked about father figures and how different they are for everyone.

Father's Day can be a difficult time for many people and the day can sometimes be a strong reminder of a person or relationship you miss. While it's great to celebrate the incredible dads out there on this day, we want to acknowledge that role models and childhood heroes aren't always the person we call dad. We want to celebrate all the men in our lives; the father figures and mentors who shaped us.

Since June is also Pride Month, it seemed appropriate to share and celebrate two of my personal role models, my father and his husband.

Rainbow families and role models

I grew up in Denmark, which is overall a tolerant and open-minded country and was the first to recognize civil partnerships for same-sex couples in 1989. Even though things are far from perfect there, I've never really felt any real hatred or prejudice for the way my family looks. Sure, it makes people a little stunned at first, but it's mostly just amusing to see the confused look on someone's face when they realize that my "stepfather" is actually married to my father and not my mother. And that's exactly where these two men become my role models. Because while I personally consider my life and my family to be completely ordinary, it is of course a little extraordinary and being extraordinary or different in some way is not always easy.

My father and his husband are my role models because they choose to live authentic lives, they choose love even when it's not easy, and they continue to choose each other. And I don't mean that they have chosen their sexuality in any way, because of course who we all authentically are is not a choice we make. No, I mean, in every relationship there are times when it's easier to walk away than to stay. There are times when you have to fight to get it right. And these two have shown me over the last 10 years that when you have something worth fighting for, you do the work and show up for each other.

Even though they live in Denmark and not somewhere where they could be prosecuted for the way they live and the love they share, I still can't imagine always having to be the ones whose lives are different than what everyone perceives as "normal" and I'm sure they've had their fair share of lawsuits. But they stand by each other and seeing them love each other the way they do brings me so much joy.

In that way, these two inspire me simply by living their extraordinarily ordinary lives.

Be an ally to LGTBQ+ people in your life

While my story, and to a large extent my father's story, is a testament to the progress and absolutely "normal lives" of LGBTQ+ people and couples around the world, filled with grocery shopping, gardening, and waking up next to the person you love every morning, it's important to remember that we still have a long way to go.

Pride isn't just rainbows and parades, it's a protest and a reminder that there are still people today who are oppressed and shamed for simply being who they are. I admire my father or fathers for something as simple as being with the person they love, but in an ideal world it wouldn't be admirable or extraordinary.

At Yogamatters we supported the charity“Just like us”since we got oursPride socksin 2019 and they are doing incredible work to support and educate especially young people in the LGBTQ+ community to empower and educate.

We had the pleasure of joining our Pride tribe for our 2019 photo shoot. Yogamatters donates £2 for every pair of socks sold to the LGBTQ+ charity Just Like Us.

This post is a testament to two of my role models, one of whom I happen to name. But this Father's Day, let's celebrate all the foster dads, dads-to-be, father figures, childless dads, stepdads, dog dads, and men who simply wowed us.

The post Celebrating Pride, Father’s Day and my dad(s) first appeared on Yogamatter’s blog.

Written by Yogamatters