Love Soap from Lush #GayIsOk 

I was so pleased to get my hands on Lush’s Love Soap, its creation was to support equal rights for all.

It isn’t hard to see what it’s all about, the hashtag #GayIsOk cannot be ignored while looking and using this product as it is literally written all over it. I couldn’t think of a better more prominent and eye-catching way of designing it.

Did you know that at the point of writing this post it is still a crime to be gay in 76 countries? I thought everyone in the world was protected by the human rights act so I am really confused that people in this day and age are still being told who they can and can’t love? Really?! sadly this is a lot of peoples reality.

Although this soap is primarily supporting equal rights for same sex couples across the globe, it also sends out a message of hope to anyone who has ever been told who they can and can’t be in love with.

It isn’t just same sex couples that are in the firing line. You could be criticised because the person you love is older than you, younger than you, a different race from you, a different religion from you or even because the person you love has a disability or mental health issue. It’s not fair on anyone.

People in life will always express their disapproval of things that have nothing to do with them. Being gay does not make you a bad person, no one should be made to feel ashamed of who they are.

I’ve never publicly spoke about it but I went through hell as a teenager all because of someone that was too scared to come out. I would have had a much better childhood if being gay wasn’t ‘frowned upon’. Even in the countries that it is perfectly legal in, people don’t come out as they’re too scared of people’s reactions.

The person who put me through hell as a kid is gay. I’m sad that they couldn’t be comfortable being themselves back then. They instead told everyone that would listen that I was a lesbian, not her, me. It was almost like they were testing the waters to find out what their peers thought of gay girls. Rumours were started and just like that I became ‘Lesbo Lu’. The stories were constant, they never stopped, never took a break. It felt like everything she said was about me being a lesbian. No other topic was ever brought up. My ‘friends’ would sit in a corner sniggering to everything she said, never once standing up for me because they were too scared of associating with a ‘lesbian’.

It got to the point where I thought maybe I was a lesbian and I hadn’t realised it yet? everyone thought I was gay, everyone said I was gay, why did I not feel gay? – simple answer is because I’m not.

It’s very easy to fall into a trap of doubting yourself because of other people’s opinions, this isn’t fair. If only we lived in a world that allowed us to be comfortable in our own skin no matter what.

The way I was treated by most people (because of these rumours) was disgusting and I haven’t forgiven the person who caused it neither have I forgiven the people that thought it was a thing to dislike/laugh at me for.

In adulthood I actually found out on my way to work that the person who had started and fueled the rumours had come out as gay. I finally understood why she had done it.

I can’t forgive what went on but I do now understand.

At the time I didn’t have any reason to think she was, I would never have suspected it and I guess that was all a part of the plan to protect herself. I know now that she was also going through her own hell because she was to frightened to be her true self. The softie in me wishes that I had known, maybe I could have helped her and saved us both a whole lot of heartache.

Not being able to have the courage to be yourself is a lonely position to be in.

This is why we all need to stand together to spread the message that who we fall in love with should be our choice, no one else’s. It should not be against the law and people should not have to fear for their life just because of who they are.

Let’s take the fear out of being ourselves,

#GayIsOk let’s tell the world!

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