On Human Sexuality
Human sexuality is an odd thing, if you really think about it. It's one of the most controversial and debated topics of our time, and for what reason? All the arguments posed by people against homosexuality have been disproven again and again: if it's not natural, why are there hundres of animal species with gay tendencies as well? How is it relevant to bring up a Bible verse when we're a country built on freedom of religion and religious persecution? If lacking a father or a mother because there are two of one causes psychological damage in children, won't being raised by a single parent do the same exact thing? So why then, if there aren't any solid facts to use against people of the GBLT variety, is there still such a strong aversion to giving us free rights?
The answer boils down to one simple thing: fear. Straights don't understand GBLTs, and it's human nature to fear and hate what you don't understand. So why don't people make an effort to understand? I think the main problem is subtle, but deadly: TV programs and movies add gay characters for added "political correctness" but rarely are these characters portrayed genuinely; they're given the stereotypes long associated with their sexuality. Men are most of the time almost unbearably camp. Even if their character has been in the closet, the minute their sexuality is unveiled the undergo a sort of rainbow sparkly transformation, "to be their true selves." While this kind of transformation may be true of some, it's laughable to assume that every out gay man will act like a fairy princess and talk with a slight lisp. Lesbians get the same treatment: they ahve to have short hair and act like men. Most of the time, they're left out of television altogether. And have you ever seen a transvestite on television who was a reoccuring character and not just a murder victim or something equally as horrendous? I didn't think so.
Maybe it's because of this blatant yet unknown disrespect that I find myself psychoanalyzing every word said by characters looking for some homoerotic sort of undertones that are actually genuine. The lack of realistic gay characters on TV has driven me to find my own. The fact that these characters aren't "out" or even planned as gay by their writers makes it truer of the real world, somehow: gay people are just like everyone else. We're people, too, and are just as complicated as the next person, if not more from the hardships we face on an almost daily basis.
A lot of people may be disturbed by this "corruption" of their favorite characters, but chances are the proof they've seen of it doesn't stray far from the fangirlish perceptions of "homosexuality" that parade around the internet under the names "slash" and "yaoi." I'm not claiming to be down on these things. In fact, one could call me such a fangirl as well. The main difference between myself and the straight teenaged girls who call themselves "yaoi fans" is that I'm not in it because it's hot. I'm in it because I like to analyze relationships, friendships, show slices of life and prove that maybe gay relationships aren't so different from straight ones after all. They're filled with the same triumphs, the same anguish, the same hopes and dreams; the only difference there is the gender of the person they love.
Perhaps the only reason I can see this as cleary as I do is because I've gone through both sides of life. I lived sixteen years of my life without realizing who I really was, stuck in the mindset that I was straight. It was a terrifying and beautiful breakthrough when I finally let go of my denial and embraced myself for who I really am. Terrifying only because of the fears society still manages to instill in the hearts of hundreds: you will not be accepted, or loved, or treated with respect and dignity if you choose to take the rainbow route. They don't realize it's not a choice; it's the fiber of our being, our very core, our definition. It's an abstract absolute, unchanging and unwavering and an integral part of our lives. It's not just what we do in bed; it's how we see the world. If people could just make the attempt to try on those rainbow-tinted glasses and see the world the way we do, instead of staying close-minded and bigoted, perhaps the world might put this silly argument over the human condition behind it and continue to a much brighter future.
The answer boils down to one simple thing: fear. Straights don't understand GBLTs, and it's human nature to fear and hate what you don't understand. So why don't people make an effort to understand? I think the main problem is subtle, but deadly: TV programs and movies add gay characters for added "political correctness" but rarely are these characters portrayed genuinely; they're given the stereotypes long associated with their sexuality. Men are most of the time almost unbearably camp. Even if their character has been in the closet, the minute their sexuality is unveiled the undergo a sort of rainbow sparkly transformation, "to be their true selves." While this kind of transformation may be true of some, it's laughable to assume that every out gay man will act like a fairy princess and talk with a slight lisp. Lesbians get the same treatment: they ahve to have short hair and act like men. Most of the time, they're left out of television altogether. And have you ever seen a transvestite on television who was a reoccuring character and not just a murder victim or something equally as horrendous? I didn't think so.
Maybe it's because of this blatant yet unknown disrespect that I find myself psychoanalyzing every word said by characters looking for some homoerotic sort of undertones that are actually genuine. The lack of realistic gay characters on TV has driven me to find my own. The fact that these characters aren't "out" or even planned as gay by their writers makes it truer of the real world, somehow: gay people are just like everyone else. We're people, too, and are just as complicated as the next person, if not more from the hardships we face on an almost daily basis.
A lot of people may be disturbed by this "corruption" of their favorite characters, but chances are the proof they've seen of it doesn't stray far from the fangirlish perceptions of "homosexuality" that parade around the internet under the names "slash" and "yaoi." I'm not claiming to be down on these things. In fact, one could call me such a fangirl as well. The main difference between myself and the straight teenaged girls who call themselves "yaoi fans" is that I'm not in it because it's hot. I'm in it because I like to analyze relationships, friendships, show slices of life and prove that maybe gay relationships aren't so different from straight ones after all. They're filled with the same triumphs, the same anguish, the same hopes and dreams; the only difference there is the gender of the person they love.
Perhaps the only reason I can see this as cleary as I do is because I've gone through both sides of life. I lived sixteen years of my life without realizing who I really was, stuck in the mindset that I was straight. It was a terrifying and beautiful breakthrough when I finally let go of my denial and embraced myself for who I really am. Terrifying only because of the fears society still manages to instill in the hearts of hundreds: you will not be accepted, or loved, or treated with respect and dignity if you choose to take the rainbow route. They don't realize it's not a choice; it's the fiber of our being, our very core, our definition. It's an abstract absolute, unchanging and unwavering and an integral part of our lives. It's not just what we do in bed; it's how we see the world. If people could just make the attempt to try on those rainbow-tinted glasses and see the world the way we do, instead of staying close-minded and bigoted, perhaps the world might put this silly argument over the human condition behind it and continue to a much brighter future.