Gay and Proud

In matters of freedom, civil and human rights in America, we have made great strides over the last fifty years. For one thing, being openly gay is slowly but surely becoming acceptable. The majority of young Americans don’t give a person’s sexuality a second thought. Gay marriage has become legal in many US states. Same sex unions are no longer frowned upon by the overall population.  Gay dating with same-sex services like Nuera Network are amazing.

That being said, we still have a long way to go. The myth throughout the older population and the population of the close-minded is that homosexuals spend all their time having sex. Narrow-minded people continue to view gays and lesbians as one dimensional beings; their sexual lives the only side considered. To understand how ridiculous this viewpoint is, turn that idea around and consider only the sexuality of a straight person. It is never done. A straight person is seen in three dimensions, their families, jobs, friends; their social life, personality, characteristics, all taken into account, as they should be.

This unfair judgment of homosexuals makes it easy to understand why, across America, ‘gayborhoods” are springing up. These are neighborhoods of almost strictly gay and lesbian inhabitants, cities within themselves. They have restaurants, bars, movie theaters, grocery stores; everything is takes to make their area self sufficient. This is a choice many homosexuals more and more are making, to live where they feel comfortable and not judged by their sexuality.

But there are still many gays who choose to live in traditional neighborhoods. Gays and lesbians are no different from anyone else. They may choose to be single, or they may want a life partner, they often want to have kids; they want to go to work and come home, eat dinner, watch TV, hit the sack. And just like your typical heterosexual couple, it is not unusual for the homosexual couple to refrain from having sex just because they are intimate. Gays and lesbians who choose to live in a neighborhood of straight people don’t want to be singled out. They want diversity, different sorts of friends, relationships with their neighbors, a multitude of activities, just like anyone else.

Why is that so hard to understand?

For those hell-bent on forcing others to conform to their ideals, it obviously is impossible to understand. For anti-gay groups, it most often is a religious and moral issue. Did they possibly miss the scripture from the bible that instructs us not to judge lest we be judged?

The only line of defense against these haters is to remember that what they think does not matter. Don’t allow anyone to make you feel embarrassed, afraid, or ashamed because of your sexuality. Your sexuality is none of their business, just as the sexuality of anyone else is not their business.

The good news is that gay bashers are losing the battle. For years, the perception of the masses toward homosexuality has been shifting. As people become more educated and more enlightened they come to see that there is room for all of us, no matter our color, religion, or sexual preference. In the poem, Desiderata, it states, “You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees and the stars, you have a right to be here.” No words were ever more true.