Homosexuality… It is something I know first hand about, mainly because I myself am a homosexual male. I have been gay all my life, so I’ve always had to keep close tabs on anything pertaining to homosexuality. Ever since I can remember, I knew that I was different. I’m not exactly sure how I knew that it was wrong and not normal to be gay…but I did… All I know is that I was in the closet and I had to stay there because if anyone found out; my ass was grass. And for most of my childhood and teenage years, I kept my sexuality a secret. I was always so reserved and kept to myself because I feared that if I expressed myself too much, people might find out who and what I really was. And let me tell you; it was hard to stay in the closet for so long… Living in a disguise and not really expressing who I really was, it just ate me up inside not be able to be free like everyone one else. Not having anyone to talk to about it, for fear that they might reject me…
But now that I look back, I see that as a child I was really unaware of what homosexuality was and what it meant to be a gay. I remember doing things like: playing with Barbie’s, being the mom when playing House, and liking girlish stuff like The Little Mermaid. How could people who knew me as a child, not have noticed that I would have turned out gay (like my parents)? And now that I am out, they tell me that they always suspected that I might be gay, but never questioned it until I became an adult… So why did I grow up knowing that homosexuality was wrong and why I should not be the way I was? I don’t remember my parents being religious at all. My parents separated when I was a child, but neither one of them ever went to church every Sunday or read The Bible. I know they weren’t Atheist…I was raised Catholic, but never followed it. I guess other people who read The Bible and are influenced by it, also tend to rub it off on society directly and subliminally.
For example: school and the children in it play a part in condemning homosexuality at a very young age. My fellow peers and friends in Elementary School would say “EWWWW! GROSS!” when they thought of someone being gay. How do young children know what a “gay person” was?! Obviously their parents must have told them what it was and how it was wrong (most likely referencing their religion and/or The Bible). I don’t understand how it is okay to talk to a child about homosexuality and not about sex! Most parents are afraid of talking about sex, but they will turn around and talk about homosexuality?! How corrupted is that?! Why teach something that can be used for discrimination? Why not teach something that is perfectly natural like sex? Why are they focusing on certain parts of The Bible and not the whole thing? NO ONE follows The Bible 100%. In The Bible where it says that homosexuality is an abomination, not too far from it, it says that eating meat (such as pork and shrimp) is an abomination. People who judge homosexuality are ALL HYPOCRITES! Not only because it says “Love thy neighbor”, but because most of the population at one point have eaten meat in their lives and continue doing so most likely. So I guess it goes to show how people like to cherry-pick certain things in The Bible and use it as a weapon for hate & discrimination. People always want to have something to hate, and they will always turn to The Bible to find something. I am POSITIVE that God did not intend for The Bible to be used in that way. Why can’t we all just live in Peace and Harmony?!
Mentioning homosexuality to children without even talking about sexuality itself reveals how many approach sexuality in general.
ReplyDeleteI feel that many understand sexuality in a very superficial way. Sexuality is a dangerous thing, an act that must be tamed, confined to little boxes of scripted behavior. Any deviation from that behavior must be snuffed out or ignored out of fear.
For example, in the article Homosexuality and the City, it is mentioned people that were active with both men and women and that as recently as the 1940s here in the U.S. we had terms for several patterns of same sex relations it wasn't until later that we simplified it into homosexual v. heterosexual thus destroying the areas of gray in sexuality making invisible those with sexual needs or tastes not fitting a strict system of classifying their sexual practices.
When mentioning homosexuality without even truly understanding sex itself—this exposes our tendency to classify what we find scary and unsettling. It is much easier to tell someone not to do something then to understand what is truly going on. It is much easier to show prejudice then it is to plunge into the source of the anxiety. this is why kids say ewww and why adults say “don’t do it” rather than understand or explain why.
Dear Jaime, as how out-spoken I am in class regarding my view points and with the recent blog you may have a bit of understanding regarding my perspective on homosexuality and the Bible. Towards the latter portion of your blog I felt as if you were shouting quite loudly although no exclamation points were needed. I felt that you were victimized along with millions of other people and your shouting to create action and stop this victimization of persons. On this particular blogging assignment I wanted to speak to you specifically because you are a homosexual man and I am a heterosexual Christian and most people would automatically place us into opposing parties. I am asking that you hear me out on my perspective and let’s see where we meet if not eye to eye.
ReplyDeleteI believe in whatever the Bible says so if it says no to homosexuality, no to eating pork or crustaceans, anything that has a no basically then that’s my standpoint. If the Bible says yes in support to all of the above then that is my standpoint, but that does not make me hate anyone or seek to have them persecuted because there is a form of disagreement. I eat shrimp and I honestly have no intention of stopping that at anytime time I can think. Yes, as I stated I know its wrong but that’s what GOD and I will have to talk about when I am judged if it is an issue, with absolutely no one else. With homosexuals they will have to deal with GOD regarding what HE deemed right and wrong just like everyone else, with each individual, not even the church is a part of that judgment.
True service is the relationship between GOD and every individual, which includes following GOD’s words to the fullest. Now not everyone does that unfortunately in the sense that persons choose to distort the truth to bare the type of fruits they want. Our nation was founded with Christian fundamentals that have been carried onto the present day mentality and socially whether religious or not. Everyone has sex and as we know not many virgins make it to the altar so they decide to let that sin slide past. If the truth is unknown then people will believe the lie when it comes from something respectable; the lie being a distortion of the truth by either party. Christianity is a symbol of what is supposed to be righteous, but it is unrecognizably corrupted by persons that take the word of GOD and distorts it with evil intentions. They are indeed hypocrites, whispering hate into the ears of many that even non-religious people will inadvertently follow the ‘hateful wisdom’ that says to hate without reading for ourselves. But that does not make homosexuals right either when some wish to alter Christianity to suit their preferences and not the truth. Both parties are wrong if the truth has to be altered at all, let alone by hatred. Call me a hypocrite as well if you desire but I believe in love and fairness. I may not share mutual views with everyone, but I will hold my respect and more importantly my love for everyone despite the fact that we’re human.