On Sensitivity
My first encounters with the LGBT community were pretty early.
My parents had some gay friends from work and Church that I would see every so often when it was bring-your-kid-to-work day. They were men who wore heels and fussed around with make-up. I found them quite strange but very friendly. They always said that my curly hair was great.
I was 8 years old when I saw a pair of high schoolers sucking on each other's necks in a dark corridor. At first, it was a bit shocking but the sight of anyone kissing or whatever was already a bit much for a kid that age. From then on, I had heard of busmates courting other girls and classmates having crushes on upperclassmen. Some had even tried their luck on FLAMES or MASH. Overalll, it was a peachy thing and it educated me more on the essentials of "crushing" and "falling in love" more than any romance movie did.
At 10, I began to read fanfiction and inevitably found myself reading fics where the characters turned out to be gay. That was some raunchy reading material. Since then, I had been very open-minded about people of the same sex, uh, having sex, especially if they were in love. After all, feelings are feelings no matter who you have feelings for.
In high school, my batchmates and friends were getting into all kinds of relationships. People would go to soirees and still keep their girlfriends. People would pay me to help them stalk their crushes. It was then I learned about how people really operated with feelings, regardless of anything. They were all pretty baliw but I guess I would be too, if I had to hide so much and put myself out there at the same time. And I also saw that how a phase for some people can be genuine for others and shouldn't be made fun of.
Now in college, I'm probably in the most open-minded place in the country. I learned that there was more to tibo, bakla and bisexual, and that there are about 210283 more classifications of gender, many of which I can find within my own circle of friends. I learned to be politically correct, like a whole new set of manners being taught to me. My stay in this university only adds to and confirms what I already know: that gender is fluid, that love is universal, that people cannot always find the strength to be who they are.
I don't know if it's the breeding or the opportunities I've been given. I don't know if it's the books I've read or the people I've met. I consider myself relatively open-minded and sensitive, and to be honest, it's not that hard. It's all about accepting that everyone is different and shouldn't have to always conform to societal norms to be good people. It's realizing that love transcends labels and that no one should be punished for feeling the way they do. It's understanding that people are not the way they are to disgust you or to demoralize the world. Basically, it's considering the feelings of those who are not as fortunate to be labeled "normal", even if they are every bit as human as we are.
I guess that's why I don't understand the disgust against the LGBT, especially by young people who are supposedly more open-minded than most. You can't fault people for wanting to marry if they're in love and want the security of marriage for their partner. You can't tell them their feelings are offensive when you are capable of feeling the same way towards other people. You can't be appalled when they tell you that they want to change who they are now to be someone they're meant to be, because be honest to yourself, you probably feel like that too sometimes. The Bible tells you that men and women are meant to be with each other? Sure, but it also tells you to love your neighbor as you love yourself.
Here are some things I'd like to clarify. Bisexuals are not gay people who are scared of "fully coming out". Transexuals and transgenders are not gays "taking it to the next level". Gays and lesbians are not abnormal freaks of nature. Gross is not the same as different.
It's very rare for me to write about something like this but hearing people my age seriously condemn others for being LGBT just hit a nerve. I'm just really disappointed.
Here's to your lovely eyes.
My parents had some gay friends from work and Church that I would see every so often when it was bring-your-kid-to-work day. They were men who wore heels and fussed around with make-up. I found them quite strange but very friendly. They always said that my curly hair was great.
I was 8 years old when I saw a pair of high schoolers sucking on each other's necks in a dark corridor. At first, it was a bit shocking but the sight of anyone kissing or whatever was already a bit much for a kid that age. From then on, I had heard of busmates courting other girls and classmates having crushes on upperclassmen. Some had even tried their luck on FLAMES or MASH. Overalll, it was a peachy thing and it educated me more on the essentials of "crushing" and "falling in love" more than any romance movie did.
At 10, I began to read fanfiction and inevitably found myself reading fics where the characters turned out to be gay. That was some raunchy reading material. Since then, I had been very open-minded about people of the same sex, uh, having sex, especially if they were in love. After all, feelings are feelings no matter who you have feelings for.
In high school, my batchmates and friends were getting into all kinds of relationships. People would go to soirees and still keep their girlfriends. People would pay me to help them stalk their crushes. It was then I learned about how people really operated with feelings, regardless of anything. They were all pretty baliw but I guess I would be too, if I had to hide so much and put myself out there at the same time. And I also saw that how a phase for some people can be genuine for others and shouldn't be made fun of.
Now in college, I'm probably in the most open-minded place in the country. I learned that there was more to tibo, bakla and bisexual, and that there are about 210283 more classifications of gender, many of which I can find within my own circle of friends. I learned to be politically correct, like a whole new set of manners being taught to me. My stay in this university only adds to and confirms what I already know: that gender is fluid, that love is universal, that people cannot always find the strength to be who they are.
I don't know if it's the breeding or the opportunities I've been given. I don't know if it's the books I've read or the people I've met. I consider myself relatively open-minded and sensitive, and to be honest, it's not that hard. It's all about accepting that everyone is different and shouldn't have to always conform to societal norms to be good people. It's realizing that love transcends labels and that no one should be punished for feeling the way they do. It's understanding that people are not the way they are to disgust you or to demoralize the world. Basically, it's considering the feelings of those who are not as fortunate to be labeled "normal", even if they are every bit as human as we are.
I guess that's why I don't understand the disgust against the LGBT, especially by young people who are supposedly more open-minded than most. You can't fault people for wanting to marry if they're in love and want the security of marriage for their partner. You can't tell them their feelings are offensive when you are capable of feeling the same way towards other people. You can't be appalled when they tell you that they want to change who they are now to be someone they're meant to be, because be honest to yourself, you probably feel like that too sometimes. The Bible tells you that men and women are meant to be with each other? Sure, but it also tells you to love your neighbor as you love yourself.
Here are some things I'd like to clarify. Bisexuals are not gay people who are scared of "fully coming out". Transexuals and transgenders are not gays "taking it to the next level". Gays and lesbians are not abnormal freaks of nature. Gross is not the same as different.
It's very rare for me to write about something like this but hearing people my age seriously condemn others for being LGBT just hit a nerve. I'm just really disappointed.
Here's to your lovely eyes.