It was refreshing to read something that was not centered around education and reading an article about reading. It was becoming old. "What are Homosexuals For?" moved me. I had never really sat down and thought about how difficult it must be for a homosexual male or female to "come out" in a society that at one point completely rejected the sexuality.
Andrew Sullivan gives an example about a professor who lived a very dull life and never could announce his homosexuality to the public. His life was lived without joy, just a day to day cycle of repetitiveness that contained little human contact, and the contact he had was with other males in which he could not even pursue a relationship. Eventually this man became very open about his sexual preference and lived the best three years of his life before dying of cancer. His life was cut short, but the time he had been out and free to pursue the many relationships that he had once hoped for were fulfilled (381).
Sullivan continues on to talk about his own hardships that he experienced when struggling with his sexuality. He had known he was gay, but like most that are exposed to anti-gay messages, he tried to reject this part of his life for as long as possible. Like the university figure, he was left lonely and confused, but soon was able to announce his secret and begin the steady climb into acceptance among those that understood him and his feelings.
When I first moved to Long Beach a few years ago, I was aware that there was a significantly large gay community here, and so through the years it never phased me when I saw a gay or lesbian couple at a local shop or coffeehouse, whereas in my old town it was very rare. I never thought, however, that for these people and couples to be so comfortable and open there could possibly have been personal struggles and even periods of loneliness and confusion going on inside of their heads. Though society is beginning to settle their disapproval and become more accepting of this sexuality, there are still many more that are prejudice and discriminatory, and it is quite possible that these homosexuals have felt the brunt of these disapprovals.
Homosexuals are made up of the same eyeballs, skin, and organs that heterosexuals are made of, they just happen to feel attraction to the same sex. They also have different ways of expressing their love or friendships, some are more flamboyant and display their homosexuality more than others, and some may hold hands in the streets the same way that a heterosexual couple will hold hands. Because society has been so tough to deal with, those who can publicly display their sexuality are those that have dealt with the uphill battle of acceptance, and even if they haven't been accepted, so what? They are people too and they will fight for those rights that they deserve more than any other heterosexual bigot.
Homosexuals are not for anything. They are here for the same reasons that heterosexuals are here. They are here to be mother and father figures, they are here to be political figures, they are here to work for the rights that are being kept away from them. They are here to start the revolution. They are here to fight for the freedoms that they are said not to have, and they are here to walk and breathe and take up space the way any other heterosexual would. When a homosexual is "out of the closet" or whatever you want to call it, they could care less if you embrace them with open arms or shun them with a door to their face, but they do care when their rights are being revoked, because they are people too and deserve the opportunity to marry if they so choose and buy a coffee if they so choose without judgment or maltreatment.
Andrew Sullivan gives an example about a professor who lived a very dull life and never could announce his homosexuality to the public. His life was lived without joy, just a day to day cycle of repetitiveness that contained little human contact, and the contact he had was with other males in which he could not even pursue a relationship. Eventually this man became very open about his sexual preference and lived the best three years of his life before dying of cancer. His life was cut short, but the time he had been out and free to pursue the many relationships that he had once hoped for were fulfilled (381).
Sullivan continues on to talk about his own hardships that he experienced when struggling with his sexuality. He had known he was gay, but like most that are exposed to anti-gay messages, he tried to reject this part of his life for as long as possible. Like the university figure, he was left lonely and confused, but soon was able to announce his secret and begin the steady climb into acceptance among those that understood him and his feelings.
When I first moved to Long Beach a few years ago, I was aware that there was a significantly large gay community here, and so through the years it never phased me when I saw a gay or lesbian couple at a local shop or coffeehouse, whereas in my old town it was very rare. I never thought, however, that for these people and couples to be so comfortable and open there could possibly have been personal struggles and even periods of loneliness and confusion going on inside of their heads. Though society is beginning to settle their disapproval and become more accepting of this sexuality, there are still many more that are prejudice and discriminatory, and it is quite possible that these homosexuals have felt the brunt of these disapprovals.
Homosexuals are made up of the same eyeballs, skin, and organs that heterosexuals are made of, they just happen to feel attraction to the same sex. They also have different ways of expressing their love or friendships, some are more flamboyant and display their homosexuality more than others, and some may hold hands in the streets the same way that a heterosexual couple will hold hands. Because society has been so tough to deal with, those who can publicly display their sexuality are those that have dealt with the uphill battle of acceptance, and even if they haven't been accepted, so what? They are people too and they will fight for those rights that they deserve more than any other heterosexual bigot.
Homosexuals are not for anything. They are here for the same reasons that heterosexuals are here. They are here to be mother and father figures, they are here to be political figures, they are here to work for the rights that are being kept away from them. They are here to start the revolution. They are here to fight for the freedoms that they are said not to have, and they are here to walk and breathe and take up space the way any other heterosexual would. When a homosexual is "out of the closet" or whatever you want to call it, they could care less if you embrace them with open arms or shun them with a door to their face, but they do care when their rights are being revoked, because they are people too and deserve the opportunity to marry if they so choose and buy a coffee if they so choose without judgment or maltreatment.
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