Written as I sip my cinnamon stick tea, having a relaxing Sunday afternoon.
What is it about being gay that instantly strips us of our humanity? I will define us as members of the cis gay community. The trans community has far different struggles than we do - my hope is that much of this will be universal, but I donāt want to make assumptions about a struggle that Iāve not dealt with personally.
As a gay man, I am tired of being treated as a member of a special interest group. What bothers me more than being treated as a member of a special interest group is the fact that we, as a community, force ourselves to align with the tenants of this special interest group, that has been dictated by those with power, relegating the humanity of homosexuals to that of a second-class personage.
Allow me to elaborate, please. I will restate, when we come out as being gay, we are stripped of our humanity. When we come out as gay, the first thing we lose is our political voice. Our political discussions within our own community and with all people are diminished to aligning with the Democrats who are against the evil Republicans, who are evil because they want to strip us of our rights (never mind there is a growing sect that is evolving on this issue - President Barack Obama was allowed to have his views on same-sex marriage evolve - critically analyze a candidate before you right them off). It doesnāt matter if we are libertarian, fiscally conservative, or if we just have questions about political agendas. We no longer have the privilege of free thought because we are now part of the special interest group of homosexuals fighting to elect Democrats. Any contrary voice to this will simply not be heard.
Aside from politics, our personal lives suffer as well. We enter a community that is stereotypically obsessed with appearance, promiscuous, and that altogether lacks real ambition. We are encouraged to select partners based on appearance and other superficial qualities without paying regard to what a personās hopes and dreams truly are. I am a chemist, and my career comes first. People see me in worn-in jeans and a t-shirt, and remark that IĀ ādonāt look gay enoughā or that IĀ ācould be really cute if I could put effort into my appearance.ā I work in a lab - my reactions arenāt going to discriminate between corroding my J. Crew sweater vs. my t-shirt I got for presenting my research at a conference, but because I am gay, in searching for a partner, my career and my mind come second to my looks.
By and large, these are generalizations, but within everyone in the gay community, these are very real issues. Because we struggle with our sexuality at some point in our lives, it is expected that we struggle in life. Because we have to fight for equal rights, our careers have to suffer.
Donāt accept the pressures of being a member of a special interest group. Be an individual. Challenge the status quo, and fight, not for a community of faceless homosexuals, but fight for your right to individuality.
titsay
theartofmadeline
tangentwithtanner
blakekathryn
annaxmalina
areudirty
2087
