Hello all,
I made a friend who is considered an outcast in many cultures: "The gender nonconforming or third-gender, ceremonial roles traditionally embodied by some Native American and Indigenous peoples in Canada . . . ." Twin Spirits1 Theopenness in me and acceptance of people who are different has its roots in my experience with the Counter Culture in the 1960s Related to the attitudes of Hippies2 We embraced many people who were sincerely different not just there to capitalize on the business of the drug culture, acid rock, civil disobedience, antiwar, civil rights . . .
We had shops that we patronized of course. I collected teas from around the world. Dressed in Mod when it emerged and grew my hair and was beat up because I was so different. But I demonstrated I could play football, and baseball, and be part of our High School Band too. But when a talent show came up I chose to sing songs by Bob Dylan and my gym teacher slammed me against a locker, "No one is going to like you freak," is what he said. Guess what? I received more than one standing ovation for Bob Dylan's, "Masters of War", "It's a Hard Rain that's Gonna Fall," and at least one of my original songs (My Love's Face).
So, so much has changed and yet so much has not.
1 https://www.theguardian.com/music/2010/oct/11/two-spirit-people-north-america
2 https://www.thecollector.com/hippie-counterculture-movement-1960s-1970s/