Do you like ketchup better than BBQ sauce? That's no big deal, according to a video recently posted on Facebook.
The video isn't really about ketchup, of course, but uses condiments to make a point about sexuality.
It opens on a family birthday party in a backyard, much like birthday parties many of us have growing up. The family sits around a table wearing paper hats and eating a meal that had most likely just been made on the grill seen in the background. A bottle of BBQ sauce gets passed around from person to person, each drowning their meat and fries in the sauce. When the bottle is offered to the son of the family, he instead stands up and looks nervously at his parents.
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"Mum, uh, dad," he starts. "I like tomato sauce." There's some nervous laughter indicating that the family doesn't really believe him, then he says again, "No, dad, I'm a tomato sauce man. Always have been."
The video was posted by organizers of the Sydney Gay And Lesbian Mardi Gras, which is something like the Australian version of America's pride parades, and is a not-so-subtle message that coming out really shouldn't be such a big deal.
The video ends happily, with the father coming out of the house after having taken a moment to process his feelings, and giving his son a big hug and kiss. "We have a party to get started," he says and sits back down. His son and who we assume to be his husband, based on the rings they're both wearing, give each other a quick kiss for getting through the "coming out."
"A simple difference shouldn't be such a big deal," the video reads as the family continues eating.
It's true: It shouldn't be such a big deal. We wish coming out was as easy as telling someone you like ketchup better than BBQ sauce, but it unfortunately isn't. For many LGBTQ people, coming out is stressful — even if your family is likely to be accepting — and for some it is downright dangerous.
Still, we'll keep fingers crossed for a day when telling someone you're queer is as simple as telling them to pass the ketchup.