Recently I have had conversations with my friends regarding people and having friends from the LGBTQ community and about potentially having LGBTQ children.
Some of us think there is absolutely nothing wrong or offensive about being LGBTQ, while some of us don’t understand how can same sex attraction occur and hold on to more conservative views/ beliefs.
What pains me the most during some of our discussions is the fact some of us do not hesitate to use extremely divisive terms like, “disturbing”, “disgusting” and “retarded” in describing people from the community. And many a times, sentiments like that arise very simply from a lack of empathy. “I don’t understand why would a girl/ guy be attracted to another girl/ guy.” “Why would a man be interested in having sexual relations with another man, that’s disgusting.”
Actually, there is really not much to understand except one thing: that you cannot actively control your attractions, straight or not.
A few of my straight friends have also described to me their experiences in gay clubs. These experiences would usually be along the lines of them feeling uncomfortable with the surge of attention from people of the same sex. At some points their descriptions actually sounded dehumanising, as though the gay club-goers were desperate, ravenous maniacs who couldn’t wait to tear through their virgin flesh.
Either my friends were exaggerating their experiences or they were really attractive because the last I hear, people – straight or not – have tastes and preferences.
Assuming my friends did in fact have very disturbing and unwanted encounters in the gay clubs, desperate, ravenous and promiscuous behaviours are not restricted to homosexuals, anyone can exhibit these behaviours. Just ask a girl who has been to a club that heterosexuals go to. Or ask a really rich guy.
In all honesty though, an opinion is after all just an opinion. They are empty. If you firmly have very negative feelings about the LGBTQ community but the most you would do is to have nothing to do with them, this is fine.
But when those thoughts crystallise into something sinister, like the acts of violence against the LGBTQ community, this is not okay.
It is extremely unfair to severely restrict someone else’s life chances or subject them to physical harm just because you, as part of the majority heterosexuals, “do not understand” a part of their being. So really, we can have an endless discussion about how acceptable it is to be LGBTQ, but understand that people with alternative sexualities are humans too, that they are present and that they deserve the same rights and opportunities as the straight majority.
bohsupremo 