Cheryl Scholl August 31 at 5:44pm · I doubt that many of you think this way, but just in case any of you do... Sometimes straight people dont understand why gay people celebrate pride. Many cities have a gay pride festival. The Milwaukee pride parade went past my east side apartment. As glittered, half-dressed drag queens sashayed past me and dykes on bikes roared their engines, I wondered too. I didnt get it then. Videos like this remind me. Gay people are discriminated against, harassed, beaten, and even murdered. Were the butt of jokes and the subject of whispers and rumors. Ive been defriended, bullied, and had coworkers make snide jokes inches from me. I was even chased on the freeway by young men making fun of me for being gay. I had a family member tell me that if I took the right hormones or met the right guy, Id be straight. Its easy to hate yourself when you have been told by society or even your own family that being gay is unnatural or evil or sick. I hated myself for decades. Thats why I was 32 when I finally came out to my mom. I dreaded the thought of disappointing her or upsetting her. I had even thought at times when I was young that I would be happy if she would hate me so the day would never come that I might hurt her. LGBT people celebrate gay pride not because we think being LGBT is greater than being straight or we think we are better than straight people. We celebrate it to remind ourselves we are equal to and just as good as straight people. We are worthy of love and respect, just like anyone else. In short, straight people dont have to feel proud to be straight because no one tries to make them feel ashamed to be straight. I could not accept the concept of gay pride until I had not only identified my own shame and self-loathing, but cast it off as wrong. In this video, a young man comes out to his family and they verbally and physically assault him. He now has the support of millions of people, so I think hell be okay. It is hard to listen to. Its painful. But please watch it if you have ever wondered why LGBT people fight so hard for respect and our rights, especially the right and ability to love who we love. Gosh, for me, loving D wasnt a choice. We didnt choose to fall in love. We just did. She had a tender heart when it came to LGBT youth, because it was difficult enough for her to come out, and it was nothing like this. This video would have broken her heart into a million pieces.
Posted on: Tue, 02 Sep 2014 17:44:29 +0000
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