Gay Gay Gay > Not
Yesterday, I was walking back from CTB via the Law School side route, which happens to pass by a frat house. Though I can't remember the letters, I remember a bunch of probably brothers standing outside the stony abode as if they had come back from a road trip or group outing. Two of the brothers were holding hands. It looked like they had just finished shaking them and forgot to let go or something. I was caught staring, because one of them looked at me and promptly dropped the other's hand. Clearly, he didn't want me to get the wrong impression that they were homosexuals.
I can not lie and say the thought did not momentarily cross my mind. Not because they were two men, but because they were two frat boys -- the epitome of the all-American stereotype: carefree, masculine, straight. If they had been gay, I would have been mildly surprised, but the shock would have quickly passed. If they had continued to hold hands, I would have smiled at them and walked on by. It was that the two frat boys immediately dropped their hold -- it was this action -- that made me think.
Girls kiss and cuddle one another all the time. In fact, the female fraternity counterpart, sorority girls, do it more than any other group. Girls flaunt this phenomenon on Facebook albums & profile pics, desktop screensavers, cell phone wallpapers, etc. There is even a certain level of social status boosting associated with it. On the other hand, society subjects frat boys to a completely opposite double standard.
It is odd that two groups founded with the same principles and ideals have entirely different acceptable ways to express them. It made me sad that these brothers who clearly felt the same sort of sibling-hood and emotional bonding as sisters do should feel ashamed or embarrassed or that it was somehow inappropriate to hold each other's hands without an outsider questioning, even if superficially, their sexuality.
As for me? I am simply a product of my environment -- my homophobic, quick-to-judge, somewhat bigoted environment.
I can not lie and say the thought did not momentarily cross my mind. Not because they were two men, but because they were two frat boys -- the epitome of the all-American stereotype: carefree, masculine, straight. If they had been gay, I would have been mildly surprised, but the shock would have quickly passed. If they had continued to hold hands, I would have smiled at them and walked on by. It was that the two frat boys immediately dropped their hold -- it was this action -- that made me think.
Girls kiss and cuddle one another all the time. In fact, the female fraternity counterpart, sorority girls, do it more than any other group. Girls flaunt this phenomenon on Facebook albums & profile pics, desktop screensavers, cell phone wallpapers, etc. There is even a certain level of social status boosting associated with it. On the other hand, society subjects frat boys to a completely opposite double standard.
It is odd that two groups founded with the same principles and ideals have entirely different acceptable ways to express them. It made me sad that these brothers who clearly felt the same sort of sibling-hood and emotional bonding as sisters do should feel ashamed or embarrassed or that it was somehow inappropriate to hold each other's hands without an outsider questioning, even if superficially, their sexuality.
As for me? I am simply a product of my environment -- my homophobic, quick-to-judge, somewhat bigoted environment.