I'm Adelimo, and this is The Slowdown.

I have been thinking lately of the phrase public love, the way a relationship turns from

a private, or a secret, or even unacknowledged thing, and then blooms into something everyone

might see.

Just recently, a friend of mine posted pictures of himself and his new love looking so

happy that it actually made my heart bounce a little.

Everyone was congratulating him on his new boyfriend and how loved and contented he seemed.

He felt like getting good mail after a sea of bills and bad news.

Everything is hard, but look, someone is in love.

But I cannot think of the idea of public love without thinking of how many lovers throughout

history have had to keep their love secret.

We think we've evolved, but let me tell you, if you come to Pride Week in Lexington, Kentucky,

we'll see a whole lot of people who have never felt safe being who they truly are openly,

freely.

It's a gorgeous thing to behold, but it also gives you a lot of perspective in terms of

public love and fear of harm.

My friend once described Provincetown Cape Cod to me like this, imagine your whole life.

There's been one or two places in town where you can be yourself.

One bar, maybe two.

And then you come to P Town and you can be yourself in the whole entire town.

I loved that description, but it was also a good lesson on how far we've come and how

far we've yet to go as a country.

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