This line stopped me for a second. It reminds me of the strong link between racism and anti-queer bigotry. It reminds me that a Black person kissing a White person in public is something to remark on because it's seen as rare and ... courageous.

It reminds me that stigmatizing the Other is an idea baked into our society.

It reminds me that so many of us have to find somebody to mistrust and even fear -- because they don't belong to the same "tribe" we belong to.

That reminds me of how much our politicians often take advantage of Othering to advance their own interests. It's sad, but stories like yours -- stories of resistance -- encourage me. We CAN choose to follow our "better angels" if we have enough strength and courage.

It sounds like there's a good bit of that going around in Greenville!