A Queer Conversation.

Kevin’s puppy, being diminutive, had squeezed its way into my yard through our common fence. That was no problem for me, but it was for the lorikeet that had just descended from above to beg a few nibbles from my pantry. Tucking Junior under my arm I made off for Kevin’s front door at which the predictable chat about recalcitrant animals took place. Then I asked ……….

“So, do you think the plebiscite will go your way”? I was referring to the imminent postal vote about to happen in Australia where the electorate would say YES or NO to changing the constitutional definition of marriage to allow marriage for homosexuals, or not.

Kevin had a tendency to swear a lot, which may have been to lend a macho bent to his effeminate vocals. “Fucking waste of time and money as far as Nigel and I are concerned. Mate, the people who look down on us with their snide remarks and their high-and -mighty judgments are not suddenly about to accept us if we get married. Like: ‘Oh Hi Nige and Kevin, I hear you’re married, why don’t you both come around for dinner’? That’ll be the fucking day! The people who accept us or reject us now are not going to change their attitude because we get married.”

I added: “So, getting married wouldn’t make any difference to you”?

“Mate,” he said, “Why the fuck would we? This house is in both names. Our wills are made out to each other and we get each others’ super when one croaks. There’s bugger all that we don’t get that regular marrieds do. Well, except that Nige’s two kids will get whatever he willed to them. I mean the gay community themselves are not gunna think better or worse of their fellow gays for getting married, and neither are the homophobes; the bigots are gunna stay bigots. Still, I dunno, we might do it just for the party and a get-together with our friends. I’ll leave the decision to Nige. I couldn’t care one way or the other to be honest”.

That was the crux of  our chat. His request that I cut down some branches that hung over the fence and dropped some seeds and leaves onto his property is not worth the telling.