a lesbian at work
So there I was, out at work. I have a new crappy bookstore job now, as I keep trying to get a better job. So far, and note that I've been there all of three days, I've gotten the usual crap that ignorance spawns:
"Are you really a lesbian?"
"You can be jewish and a lesbian?"
"You've been attracted to more than zero men before, so you can see why I have a hard time believing that being gay isn't a choice. Jesus said..." (this one continued, but not intelligently or amusingly)
And then, there were the sitcom moments.
"I'm so glad we have another gay person here! I mean, I'm straight, I don't think of other girls that way or anything. It's uh, just nice. I like gay people."
"So I hear you were hitting on my girlfriend. Bet you twenty bucks you can't lay her."
I hit on a lot of people. Am I serious? Rarely.
"I'm just teasing you."
Well yeah. She's straight, right?
"Yeah. I'm not that kind of guy who'd get all protective. There was this one time that a whole bunch of dudes were hitting on her and I was just like, whatever, that's cool, she's my girl."
That's... great.
"But I think it's just cool you hit on her."
(At this point I literally had no idea what to say.)
"How often do girls ask you to go to the bathroom with them?"
If I'm continuing a conversation with them? Fairly regularly.
"You know what I mean."
For sex?
*nod*
(I just blink and walk away.)
"Well, you know, even if you had bad hair, it's not like anyone would make fun of you for it."
Why not?
"You're a lesbian. We gay men understand these things."
Wait, so I have bad hair and you're just being nice to me?
"No, I mean if you had bad hair."
You'd let me get away with bad hair because I'm gay?
"Sure."
But I don't have bad hair now.
"No, it's cute."
You need to make fun of me if I have bad hair.
Would you let me get away with bad hair just because I'm a lesbian?
"You're a lesbian? I didn't know that."
Oh... Yeah. I am!
"You're wacky, I like you. And no, I probably just wouldn't even notice."
But do I have bad hair now?
"I don't know. Do you?"
You're not helpful. But you're cool anyway.
I am not going to come out as trans. That would just be too many questions. And I'm not sure that I'd have so many moments that, at least in retrospect, make me giggle.
-Allison, out and proud
"Are you really a lesbian?"
"You can be jewish and a lesbian?"
"You've been attracted to more than zero men before, so you can see why I have a hard time believing that being gay isn't a choice. Jesus said..." (this one continued, but not intelligently or amusingly)
And then, there were the sitcom moments.
"I'm so glad we have another gay person here! I mean, I'm straight, I don't think of other girls that way or anything. It's uh, just nice. I like gay people."
"So I hear you were hitting on my girlfriend. Bet you twenty bucks you can't lay her."
I hit on a lot of people. Am I serious? Rarely.
"I'm just teasing you."
Well yeah. She's straight, right?
"Yeah. I'm not that kind of guy who'd get all protective. There was this one time that a whole bunch of dudes were hitting on her and I was just like, whatever, that's cool, she's my girl."
That's... great.
"But I think it's just cool you hit on her."
(At this point I literally had no idea what to say.)
"How often do girls ask you to go to the bathroom with them?"
If I'm continuing a conversation with them? Fairly regularly.
"You know what I mean."
For sex?
*nod*
(I just blink and walk away.)
"Well, you know, even if you had bad hair, it's not like anyone would make fun of you for it."
Why not?
"You're a lesbian. We gay men understand these things."
Wait, so I have bad hair and you're just being nice to me?
"No, I mean if you had bad hair."
You'd let me get away with bad hair because I'm gay?
"Sure."
But I don't have bad hair now.
"No, it's cute."
You need to make fun of me if I have bad hair.
Would you let me get away with bad hair just because I'm a lesbian?
"You're a lesbian? I didn't know that."
Oh... Yeah. I am!
"You're wacky, I like you. And no, I probably just wouldn't even notice."
But do I have bad hair now?
"I don't know. Do you?"
You're not helpful. But you're cool anyway.
I am not going to come out as trans. That would just be too many questions. And I'm not sure that I'd have so many moments that, at least in retrospect, make me giggle.
-Allison, out and proud