Roads to Safe Places

My brother and I live close to eachother in the inner west of Sydney which is the queer hotspot in one of the most recognisably queer friendly cities in the world. That's not to say people in Sydney still don't have similar views to the ones your classmates seem to have. My brother's flatmate was walking down the main street of Newtown, pride flagas over every second shop, and she turned to my brother and pointed out a short haired, pants wearing lesbian couple walking in front of them. She said "I don't get why lesbians actually go around looking like that. Don't they realise how terrible they look?"

My brother looked at her astonished and then launched into an explanation that their way of dressing acually made a statement about their view of social stereotypes and placed them within a a particular counter culture that did not find them unfashionable at all. He went on at reasonable length on this point while his faltmate's eyes glazed over. When he had finished she blinked and then brightly went on to tell him about a divine pair of boots she'd seen the day before as if the conversation had never happened.