We Always Knew

Three lines of face-paint emblazoned across cheeks acknowledging the tribe to which she belonged; a rainbow flag around her shoulders; sequins, glitter, and a stellar smile.

Last year she had been the wallflower which had skirted around the edges, this year she was owning her place in the parade, hand in hand with her girlfriend; parents stood at a distance, bemused, finding their place as ‘Straight but not Narrow’.

She’d had to borrow courage from others in order to tell her parents, to reveal to them her true self. She needn’t have worried.

‘Nothing’s changed’

‘We always knew’

‘We love you’