Training The Public To Accept Alternatives

I am goth — cyber goth to be specific — and I take the train to get to and from the city. Of course, I get some funny looks, and I expect that. I often also get photos taken of me without my permission and people moving away from me.

One day, I was on the packed train on the way home and I had a seat. I noticed that a couple got on and one person had low vision — indicated by a badge on their shirt — and the other was deaf. I waved them over and gave up my seat for them, thinking nothing of it.

Later on, when the train had cleared out a bit, I managed to get a seat again next to them. The man who was deaf signed to me that he liked my hair — pink and green cyber dreadlocks — so I tried to sign a thank-you.

He wanted to keep “talking” so he typed on his phone, “Thank you for what you did. It’s not often we can get a seat due to my wife not having a clear disability. And I have to tell you, I was surprised when you got up. I always had the idea that people who dressed like that were scary or bad.”

It was nice to talk to that lovely couple and nice for someone to see that goths are more often than not friendly and willing to help despite their “scary” appearance.