I don't care if you want to be gay, but why do you have to make an announcement? Why do you have to flaunt it? Keep your gay to yourself. Don't push it in my face. Your lifestyle doesn't have to be public. It's an infringement on my rights to be in a normal relationship when I'm forced to watch you live your lifestyle. It's none of my business what you do in your bedroom, but when you prance around in public exposing your lifestyle to my children, that's where I draw the line.
Have you heard these types of comments before?
Surely you have if you've ever read the comments that follow news stories relating to equal rights or coming out stories. Even if you don't read the comments, chances are you've seen a Facebook post or a tweet saying something similar. You may have even thought them yourself.
I see these types of comments too, and honestly, they make my blood boil a bit. Sure, you don't see actors on the cover of People magazine declaring "Yes, I'm Straight." But when someone comes out, privately or publicly, as a gay man or woman, it's not to "flaunt" their sexuality. It's not to "force" their "lifestyle" on you or your children. It's to let people know that this is who they are and they aren't going to continue to live in secret, live in fear, live in shame.
See, as straight people, we don't have to announce anything. We are able to live our lives free from discrimination. We are free to be who we are without friends or family turning their backs on us. We are free to walk down the street, hand in hand, with our significant other without fear of verbal, and sometimes, physical attack. We are free to go to work Monday morning and discuss with our co-workers that we went to dinner and a movie with our significant other over the weekend without fear of judgement.
But I don't think anyone would say that by doing these things we are flaunting our heterosexual lifestyle. I don't think many would fear that their children are going to be exposed to immoral behaviors. We are just being so-called normal people in so-called normal relationships.
Why the double-standard? Because of judgement, ignorance, and fear. Because you hide behind the words of a book, of a leader, of an authority figure rather than following your own heart, words and thoughts of all men are created equal, loving your fellow man, doing unto others as you'd have done unto you, and judging not lest ye be judged.
Who am I to make these judgements myself? I'm just a girl in the world who believes that we'd all be much better off if we could learn to love instead of hate, accept instead of reject, and live instead of hide.
Thank you for reading.
