What happened in my English class today....

[conuly]

We're talking about the last reading, which was written by a gay man just after AIDS became the big thing. So he's mad that he's losing all his friends to this disease, and the government isn't doing anything to stop it. He's also mad that he's lost friends to more blatant forms of homophobia, so he makes some comments about homophobia being the "national sport of straight men". This is where the fight started, but I want to finish the paragraph before describing the fight. The last thing he talks about is his brother, who had spina bifida and was, years later, still mad that he never had a wheelchair growing up. He could have had one, but his parents kept waiting for a cure.

So, basically, the reading was about tolerance and acceptance and how it's sorely lacking in the world.

Got it? Good, on with the story.

Guy across the room, he raises his hand and starts talking about how "he doesn't understand why it's called homophobia, he's not scared of them, he just doesn't agree with that lifestyle". I flex my fingers but keep my mouth shut. I don't want to start a fight.

Somebody else, she goes on about how "she doesn't agree with it either, but they see it as a civil rights issue, so..." My cheek is sore from the pressure, but I don't want to say anything.

Now the first guy is trying to talk. "Civil rights issue? Like the civil rights movement in the sixties? How dare they? I mean, I didn't choose to be black! But they-"

BAM. The words aren't out of his mouth before they're out of mine, and loud.

Apparently, gay people choose to be gay, but it's natural for him to be straight. Stupid fucking MORON. And the professor shut me up before I could really make my point, though I doubt it was very clear over the sound of everybody and me yelling.

We all calm down. We're not mad. Not us! And we talk a bit more about the story, without really touching on the pervasive element of being gay.

And finally, I'm allowed to make the last comment, we really should be moving on. And I can tell that if I start another yelling match, I'll be hushed up.

"We-ll, you can also see this as a disability rights issue, I think. I mean, his brother, he calls him crippled, and sure his legs didn't work, but that's not what crippled* him. He was more harmed by the fact that his parents wouldn't accept him as he was, and kept holding out for a cure. It was the crippling attitudes of society that harmed him. *pause* Ratherlikesimilarattitudeshavecausedgayteenstohavesomeofthehighestsuicideratesinthecountr-"

"Yes, well, moving on!"

You know you've been hanging out with the wrong crowd of people when you can say things like "crippling attitudes of society" without even thinking about it.

*_{No comments, please. The story called him crippled, and switching to disabled midstream would've messed up my flow. Besides, the word's not the thing, right?}

Comments

[marveen.livejournal.com]

Thanks for saying what needed badly to be said.

[conuly]

It's, what, 10% of the population is gay? I am fairly confident that I'm not gay. So that means 2 or 3 people in that class weren't speaking up on their own behalf. Probably. Well, it's not my business - I'm more pissed that people said such stupid things.

[lannamichaels]

I went to a religious private school and I used to space out during most classes. One time I snapped right into in just in time to hear the teacher say something about gay people and then "well, thank goodness no one in here is gay." I started turning red. After class, one of my friends ranted to me about how she was offended that the teacher would say that, especially because if you're going to take 10% literally, at least 2 people in the class were gay. I was relieved that I wasn't the only one pissed off.

I'm so glad you were able to speak up, even if you were hushed.

[frogmajick.livejournal.com]

No way he was seriously going to say that he didn't choose to be black but a homosexual chooses to be gay.

I have to go hit my head very very hard to take that stinging ignorance out of my memory now.

[conuly]

And then, on top of that, that he also didn't choose to be straight.

[frogmajick.livejournal.com]

I wonder if he chose to be closed minded...or if that came naturally to him too.

[ril-chan.livejournal.com]

Christ, I love you. I wish more people would speak up like that. The world would be a better place.

[conuly]

Yeah, well, I've occasionally spent time wishing more people would speak up. Then I realized that I was part of "people", and that I had a duty. If I ever got a tattoo, it'd either say "I have a duty" or "permit no injustice", because I want to live my life by those injunctions. I'm not always good at it, but I want to.

Or I might get "honesty: it's not just for breakfast" because I can't help but believe that.

[rantinan.livejournal.com]

And speaking up like that is why I friended you oh mighty empress.
Of course If I'd been in your class there would have been two very very angry aspies shouting.

It's going to be a long long time I'm afraid. Most people got the concept that is bad to discriminate aginst visible differences down in their heads now...
So they discriminate even harder aginst those of us who have invisible differences.

[conuly]

Most people got the concept that is bad to discriminate aginst visible differences down in their heads now...

That's the worst of it, they really don't. They say they do, and they like to believe they do, but they don't even see where they're being hypocrites.

[rainbow-goddess.livejournal.com]

Even if gay people did choose to be gay, that wouldn't be a reason to deny civil rights to gay people. After all, it's supposedly illegal to deny people civil rights on the basis of religion (though with the way Muslims are treated in the U.S.A., I'm not so sure about that anymore) and people choose their religions.

I don't think homophobia is the right word, either. It should be homohatred, because that's what it is -- hatred.

[joeymew.livejournal.com]

I think antihomosexuality works, but it's kind of long to type. We wouldn't have this problem if people could keep their noses out of other people's bedroom habits.

[conuly]

We wouldn't have this problem if people could keep their noses out of other people's bedroom habits.

Hear, hear. And that's why I believe he *is* scared, because if he weren't, he wouldn't care.

awesome story

[scottrossi.livejournal.com]

what an awesome story. i have alot of similar stories from my life and travels as well. i think we could all write books on our daily persecutions.

Re: awesome story

[conuly]

What pissed me off is that I'm not even gay. I have a disproportionate amount of openly gay/bi friends, I think, but barring evidence to the contrary, I think I'm straight. So I ended up having to defend people other than myself.

Conscience. It kills me.

[ser-kai.livejournal.com]

Every time I read these stories I'm cheering you on inside.

[conuly]

Yes, cheering my non-self-control.

Well, that can be a good thing. Somebody needed to wake these people up.

[ser-kai.livejournal.com]

I don't see it as a lack of self-control.
I see it as you having the guts to try to right a wrong when you see it.
An admirable quality.

[marveen.livejournal.com]

Thanks for saying what needed badly to be said.

[conuly]

It's, what, 10% of the population is gay? I am fairly confident that I'm not gay. So that means 2 or 3 people in that class weren't speaking up on their own behalf. Probably. Well, it's not my business - I'm more pissed that people said such stupid things.

[lannamichaels]

I went to a religious private school and I used to space out during most classes. One time I snapped right into in just in time to hear the teacher say something about gay people and then "well, thank goodness no one in here is gay." I started turning red. After class, one of my friends ranted to me about how she was offended that the teacher would say that, especially because if you're going to take 10% literally, at least 2 people in the class were gay. I was relieved that I wasn't the only one pissed off.

I'm so glad you were able to speak up, even if you were hushed.

[frogmajick.livejournal.com]

No way he was seriously going to say that he didn't choose to be black but a homosexual chooses to be gay.

I have to go hit my head very very hard to take that stinging ignorance out of my memory now.

[conuly]

And then, on top of that, that he also didn't choose to be straight.

[frogmajick.livejournal.com]

I wonder if he chose to be closed minded...or if that came naturally to him too.

[ril-chan.livejournal.com]

Christ, I love you. I wish more people would speak up like that. The world would be a better place.

[conuly]

Yeah, well, I've occasionally spent time wishing more people would speak up. Then I realized that I was part of "people", and that I had a duty. If I ever got a tattoo, it'd either say "I have a duty" or "permit no injustice", because I want to live my life by those injunctions. I'm not always good at it, but I want to.

Or I might get "honesty: it's not just for breakfast" because I can't help but believe that.

[rantinan.livejournal.com]

And speaking up like that is why I friended you oh mighty empress.
Of course If I'd been in your class there would have been two very very angry aspies shouting.

It's going to be a long long time I'm afraid. Most people got the concept that is bad to discriminate aginst visible differences down in their heads now...
So they discriminate even harder aginst those of us who have invisible differences.

[conuly]

Most people got the concept that is bad to discriminate aginst visible differences down in their heads now...

That's the worst of it, they really don't. They say they do, and they like to believe they do, but they don't even see where they're being hypocrites.

[rainbow-goddess.livejournal.com]

Even if gay people did choose to be gay, that wouldn't be a reason to deny civil rights to gay people. After all, it's supposedly illegal to deny people civil rights on the basis of religion (though with the way Muslims are treated in the U.S.A., I'm not so sure about that anymore) and people choose their religions.

I don't think homophobia is the right word, either. It should be homohatred, because that's what it is -- hatred.

[joeymew.livejournal.com]

I think antihomosexuality works, but it's kind of long to type. We wouldn't have this problem if people could keep their noses out of other people's bedroom habits.

[conuly]

We wouldn't have this problem if people could keep their noses out of other people's bedroom habits.

Hear, hear. And that's why I believe he *is* scared, because if he weren't, he wouldn't care.

awesome story

[scottrossi.livejournal.com]

what an awesome story. i have alot of similar stories from my life and travels as well. i think we could all write books on our daily persecutions.

Re: awesome story

[conuly]

What pissed me off is that I'm not even gay. I have a disproportionate amount of openly gay/bi friends, I think, but barring evidence to the contrary, I think I'm straight. So I ended up having to defend people other than myself.

Conscience. It kills me.

[ser-kai.livejournal.com]

Every time I read these stories I'm cheering you on inside.

[conuly]

Yes, cheering my non-self-control.

Well, that can be a good thing. Somebody needed to wake these people up.

[ser-kai.livejournal.com]

I don't see it as a lack of self-control.
I see it as you having the guts to try to right a wrong when you see it.
An admirable quality.