| How often do you deal with homophobia?
I grew up in Orlando, Fl. I was raised in a very strict Catholic home by my grandparents. My dad sent me to Catholic School, and I never knew why the other boys were mean to me. One time I talked to a guidance counselor but I just didn't know. Now I do of course. It wasn't all awful - I had my little group of friends, half in which have now come out.
Middle School, of course, everyone is just in such an awkward stage. I wasn't out, but people knew. I didn't have much confidence at all back then and I was a total introvert. When I went into High School, though, the most popular people in school were gay.
I was out by tenth grade along with others in my class. I had changed into a vibrant extrovert by this time, homophobia was lame to me, and I was true to myself. But that school has its own personal issues and I hated it. People used my sexuality against me but that's just because of tension and issues there - Oscar was and has been our class president and was homecoming king and so was Joel, his boyfriend, at one time.
I switched to a school for "drop outs" where quarters were semesters and recently graduated early. Anyone sixteen or over could go there. I met such a diversity of people and I realized that the world really is a lot better these days. Almost no straight guy there even ASKED me about my sexuality - I guess part of that is my laid back personality. They knew I was, but they also knew I wasn't going to make moves on them or whatever.
Of course you have to expect haters here and there, though, which I do get. I have a pride bracelet and my grandparents made a ruckus. Recently at work, a kid who is a bit slow (But slow at the point where he has a job and goes to school, and probably just in in SLD classes, def. not stupid) called me a faggot because I wore my Santa hot forward instead of backwards. I reported him and his mother begged me for an apology, insisting she raised him better, was ashamed, and has a gay niece herself.
But then less tha a week later, this guy I thought was gay, eighteen years old, sees a hot girl and goes she's so hot at my job (I work at a grocery store). As she leaves, he's like "You should be ashamed of yourself. Why are you gay? You can fuck a girl in the ass, too, you know." I let it slide. I go outside to collect carts and when I come back in I politely say, "You know, there is sufficient scientic proof gay men's brains are different than straight men's, and gay people have several, specific physiological differences like being very likely to be left handed." Then he accuses me of saying gay people are better than everyone else, and he says gays have a mentality we're better than everyone else, and patronizes me completely to where I end up saying he's a prejudice son of a bitch - So now I def. cant report him. But I was so shocked - We have a few assistant managers in the front end, but our main boss is gay. Everyone likes him - And plenty of the employees are too gay, and open. I would have NEVER expected this from him.
And now I'm reading Rainbow Boys and the homophobia is incredible though I'm definitely inferring they live in some small hick town. But yeah, luckily, I've noticed at least in my generation most straight guys just don't care, I guess they see reality, and girls probably have a lot to do with it, since it's like, I dunno, illegal for a chick to be a homophobic, plus there being less and less people caring about religion helps ....
You know, I wonder how many people actually are gay. It's funny because in most surveys, at least forty percent of men admit to having had some sort of sexual relations with men (Credible surveys, you can look this up yourself) yet a MUCH smaller percentage say they're gay, and remember, those are just the ones who are willing to admit it. Because I remember in ninth grade, before I was out, I lied and said I was straight on the Garbage forum just because I didn't want to be a "typical fan" (though Garbage has a pretty even amount of gay and straight male fans, oddly) and even lied in a survey for an article going to be used in a fanzine! It never did get used, but still, if I lied, a shit load of others will, too. It's funny, because the difference between a "straight" and a "bi" guy is three drinks.
But yeah, guys and girls. Share stories. I want to know.
Last edited by Shredded Valentines; 12-29-2007 at 12:49 AM.
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