As a gay guy, I often ask myself: how much personal responsibility do I have in the lgbtq community? I have read books, watched movies, and looked up organizations on-campus to volunteer with when I return to school in the fall. Through this blog I have shared some of my experiences. And yet, I still lack a clear definition of how much I need to do. How much of the weight falls on my shoulders? What is my gay duty?
Answer: It doesn’t exist. Sort of. Continue reading
“I’m scared to talk about what’s bothering me,” he said.
“I’m scared to walk back to the dorm at night alone,” she said.
A few months ago, I locked myself in my college’s library to study for final exams. While procrastinating focusing on Social Psychology, I overheard a conversation between a boy and a girl studying in the cubicles to my right.
He shuffled some of his books around. “It’s not a big deal anyway. Every time I try to talk about it with her, I feel weird-,”
“Yeah, well, you should see me every time I go out.” She sighed, either from the stress of finals or the minutiae of her friend’s problem. “If you think you have it bad, try imagining every guy in the room thinking you want it just because you’re wearing a short dress.”
The aspiring therapist inside of me wanted to reach out and console both of them about their issues, but instead, I shook my head, turned up my music, and saved their conversation as material for a future blog post.
Does anyone see how this post actually contributes to equality? Because I don’t.
I identify as male, so I will not pretend to know what it feels like to be catcalled, paid less for equal performance, or judged just based on my appearance. Continue reading
Filed under Society
I am aware that this tweet was taken before the election, it’s great that President Obama won!
Lately, I’ve heard a lot of people say that gay rights isn’t a “big picture” issue. They say that things like the economy or foreign affairs matters more, and that being gay only affects a limited amount of people – so, it should be shoved aside until our country can resolve other problems.
I understand that people have priorities and certain things that affect them. Everyone is supposed to care about different subjects, and people are supposed to disagree, otherwise, nothing new would arise. I understand that money has a huge effect on our country’s prosperity and its overall position in the world – it’s truly unfortunate that so many people are struggling to make ends meet.
But I do not understand how anyone can assume that gay rights isn’t a key part of the big picture. Continue reading
Filed under Society
They’re going to get married. In every single state. Just like heterosexuals, and just like blacks. Eventually, they’re going to be treated how they deserve to be treated – as equal citizens of the United States of America.
Of course, there is one condition. But more on that later.
I’m sure you’re thinking, how can I come to this conclusion? How can I be so optimistic? So idealistic? How is it possible when kids are being bullied every day just for being gay, and when well under half of the states in the US still deny gays the right to marry?
Because it all comes down to this: time. As time passes, things change. People change. Cultures change. Societies change. Change in itself, is, well, inevitable.
An eight-year-old girl approaches her dad on Father’s Day.
The little girl noticed her father glowing with happiness and asked,” Daddy, do you feel special?”
“Of course I do, sweetheart,” he answered,” you and your mother have made this the best day of my life!”
“Why don’t I get a special day?” his daughter said. “I want to be special too!”
“You don’t need one,” he replied,” you’re awesome and special every day!”
“Oh,” the girl said,” but why do gay people have a special day? How are they different from the rest of us?”
“You see, honey, society has manufactured a stigma against gays based solely on their sexuality. It doesn’t matter if they’re nice, or smart, or funny. They’re homosexual! Therefore, they must be treated with intolerance and given a special day for them to be accepted.”
“…”
It's funny because it's true.
Let me make it clear that I love gay people. I support them, I accept them, I give them hugs, you name it. In fact, I treat them pretty much like I treat everyone else. I think you should, too.
Okay, I get it. National Coming Out Day is important because it allows hidden homosexuals to reveal their true selves and come out of the closet. But does anyone else find it just a little sad that National Coming Out Day even has to exist for people to appreciate each other for who they are? I mean, why hasn’t anyone made a “Let’s Accept Everyone For Who They Are Because That Would Be So Much Better” day?
It’s not really the day itself that annoys me, rather the reasoning behind it – I intensely dislike how society has painted the image of homosexuality in such ostentatious colors. What makes gay people so different from straight people besides their sexuality? Gay people pay taxes, lose jobs, experience heartbreak… heck, gay people get cancer.
One may argue that suffering through these ordeals strengthens gay people, but at what cost? Torture? Suicide? It’s just so frustrating. If we were to live in a perfect world, peoples’ perception of gays would be of equality, not of disparity.
Kurt Hummel and Blaine Anderson, two gay characters in the popular television show "Glee".
Harvey Milk once said, “I know that you cannot live on hope alone, but without it, life is not worth living.” I have hope for homosexual equality in our generation and in generations to come. Despite the shortcomings that still occur when it comes to preventing hate crimes and bullying, we have never been as tolerant as we are now concerning gay people.
My close friend and I were discussing the hit television show “Glee”. I’ve never watched it, yet I had heard that it involved two openly gay guys engaged in a relationship, which caused me to Google them and stalk them become curious. I asked my friend about them and she said the most fantastic thing ever. This isn’t an exact quote, though she said some thing along the lines of “it isn’t even about their gender, it’s about who they are as people.”
Now I’m sure that my friend had already come to that realization before watching “Glee”, but the amazing aspect (besides how awesome she is) is that there are more people promoting GLBT equality than ever before. We see it in shows like “Glee”, with celebrities like Lady Gaga, in books like What They Always Tell Us by Martin Wilson or The Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare, and through everyday people via the It Gets Better project. And I suppose National Coming Out Day helps too.
So to answer the question “does being gay matter?”, I’d say it does and it doesn’t. While it’s unfortunate that people place an issue as minute as whether one should be able to marry who they love regardless of their gender on the same political pedestal as the morality of capital punishment or the failing economy, for the time being sexual orientation plays a part in your place in society. Despite that, being gay doesn’t negatively affect anything about you yourself – it doesn’t make you a bad person, it shouldn’t stop you from loving “the one”, and it can’t cause you to become cruel and vengeful on the inside.
Yes, you will face more struggles if you are gay than if you are straight. However, if we continue to fight for what is necessary – the rights that all humans deserve to have – one day people will look at back and think “dang, I cannot believe how ignorant we were. I am so glad we’ve learned from our mistakes.” Imagine Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks, and the African-American Civil Rights Movement. What they accomplished required a tremendous about of tenacity and hard work. What they accomplished was worth it.
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On a less serious note, I hope everyone is enjoying their weekend! I apologize for the slight variance of tone in this post. I started it one day and came back to it the next with a slightly changed mindset, but, at least I got a lot of thinking done! Before I forget, shout-out to mutated-kitty for proving to me that finding the distance a flying projectile will help me as an English major and for being one of my most appreciated readers (no, really, you rock). Also, here’s an interesting post from one of my friends on Twitter about gay marriage and The Scarlet Letter.
This turned out to be a pretty rant/train-of-thought style post. Still, it’s probably better than a post about how I found the courage to pick up that dead cricket off the bathroom floor… I didn’t make up that friend I mentioned, I swear.
What are your thoughts on homosexuality and gay rights? This subject and my readers’ thoughts always pique my interest, so please don’t hesitate to state your opinion, even if you disagree with what I’ve said!
the quiet voice 