There are a lot of subjects I can hear people talk about with utter disdain without batting an eyelash. That comes as part of being fairly shelled against people naturally. However, in recent days, I have come to hear that kind of talk about a subject that really needs nothing of the sort: homosexuals.
To be perfectly honest, I'm a gay rights advocate. No, I don't parade around going "Up with gay people!" and all that, but I'm behind the movement of legalizing gay marriage because everyone deserves the right to do as they please and be recognized for it. It shouldn't matter if you're two guys or two girls getting married; you're two people that want to be together and want to be married, so you should be able to do it without any flack. But that's just my opinion.
My problem is this: I constantly hear my colleagues saying really negative things about gay marriage and whatnot and I really don't understand it. To quote verbatim from one of them regarding gay people in general (not the movement for equal rights): "This gay thing is really getting out of control. There were hardly any gay people when I was growing up; now, they're everywhere you look. It's ridiculous."
First thing I feel is wrong about that statement: There were likely a lot of gay people around when that particular person was growing up. They just weren't comfortable with coming out because of the way they were likely to be (and are being) treated.
Second thing I feel is wrong about that statement: How is being gay a movement? If I remember correctly, there was a scientific report that said people are born with the sexual preference they have: it just takes until after puberty for them to realize what it is, whether they're gay/lesbian, straight or bi-sexual. It's not that people are suddenly becoming gay; it's that people that -are- gay are finally coming out because the GLBT community is growing in terms of recognition and comfort.
Now, I can somewhat understand from a religious standpoint that if you've had it mentioned/taught, depending on who you are, that men only have relationships with women and everything else is a sin, it's going to be a little hard wrapping your head around gay rights. However, the majority of people aren't asking you to like it; it's just a matter of recognition. You wouldn't like it if someone denied you a common right/privilege based on who you were or how you lived your life. That's the same way most other people feel. Equality is for everyone, last time I checked.
Another problem I'm having is that this sentiment is being passed on to kids that don't even realize what it is they're "against". I can't tell you how many times I've heard "Ew, you gay! Stay away from me!" from kids walking down the hallway/street talking amongst themselves. I've even heard my little cousins saying similar things. It's disturbing and honestly, it pisses me off a little. A five-year-old shouldn't be trying to determine sexuality and be unwilling to associate with someone because of it.
I realize this is one of the larger issues that people are dealing with in the U.S. at this moment and nothing's going to be changing in regards to sentiment any time soon, but it's just really demoralizing to hear this sort of talk everywhere I go. I'm probably not alone, but sheesh. It's hard, sometimes. D:
