So, it’s November 5th, 2013, and Halloween is long gone, the enjoyment of my favorite holiday whipping by at storm-force speeds. I didn’t go trick-or-treating or get to dress up this year, as some issues turned up, but I still thoroughly enjoyed the Halloween spirit.

Halloween is the ONE day of the year where everyone is on a level playing field, the ONE time a year where ANYONE can be ANYONE or ANYTHING he or she wants to be and no one is going to look at them funny for it. The person who always wanted to be a ninja could dress up as one and not deal with the funny stares; the person who had always wanted to be an anime character could don a cape and a blue wig and not be sneered at or mocked; and the person who is a Punk or Goth or Hardcore Rocker could wear all the jewelry and makeup he or she wants, and parents will say nothing about it. No one is above or below the next guy. Luke was in drag this year, because he has always wanted to be someone else, and who looked funny at him? No one.

That’s freedom.

If Luke, tormented for his sexual orientation, had the chance to be who he REALLY wanted to be, what could Halloween mean to others like him? If Halloween is the day the freaks come out, why try to stop the freaks?

But, here’s the I-want-the-world-to-be-a-better-place moment: why is this JUST on Halloween?
Why can’t I dress up like the Queen of Hearts on November 3rd without being made fun of? Why can’t Hannah wear a blue wig and a cape without someone hollering “WIERDO!” or “FREAK!” when she walks by? Why can’t Luke be who he want to be on a day that is not October 31st? What makes Halloween different from any other day where people still talk and read horror novels and watch zombie flick and play pranks on each other?

Why isn’t every day Halloween?