At 2:22 this morning, a pleasant dream was interrupted by the sound of sleet pelting my bedroom window. Small doses of cold can sound menacing in the dark hours of the early morning.
Jodie Foster gave an amazing speech last. Not the “coming out” part. She didn’t come out last night … she’s been publicly referencing her former life-partner for years. Most members of the media focused on the “coming-out” slant, on the privacy thesis. In my view, that’s not what made the speech remarkable. That’s not what brought Jodie — who was clearly nervous and frightened — to tears.
It was the other parts. Here are some excerpts from her speech at the Golden Globes last night:
“There are a few secrets to keeping your psyche intact over such a long career. The first, love people and stay beside them.”
“Our amazing sons, Charlie and Kit, who are my reason to breathe and to evolve, my blood and soul. And boys, in case you didn’t know it, this song, all of this, this song is for you.”
“Mom, I know you’re inside those blue eyes somewhere and that there are so many things that you won’t understand tonight. But this is the only important one to take in: I love you, I love you, I love you. And I hope that if I say this three times, it will magically and perfectly enter into your soul, fill you with grace and the joy of knowing that you did good in this life. You’re a great mom. Please take that with you when you’re finally OK to go.
“Change, you gotta love it. I will continue to tell stories, to move people by being moved, the greatest job in the world. It’s just that from now on, I may be holding a different talking stick. And maybe it won’t be as sparkly, maybe it won’t open on 3,000 screens, maybe it will be so quiet and delicate that only dogs can hear it whistle.”
“But it will be my writing on the wall. Jodie Foster was here, I still am, and I want to be seen, to be understood deeply and to be not so very lonely.”
These are words of beauty, relevance, and power. They are words of love, tribute, and honor. The speech wasn’t about coming out — it was about being okay with what is within.
Sappho Rising 