I stand gormless on the tube still trying to take everything in. Being pushed in front of by a man in his late twenties badly dressed only infuriated me more. He had just got on the tube and was fighting the other passengers for a seat. I asserted my presence and made him realise who was boss and he backed down. My mind dropped back into the previous trail of thought – I was still slightly amazed by the story I had read in the guardian only half an hour before. Christian group ‘Core issues’ had paid TFL to have adverts on london buses claiming that they were able to cure homosexuality, luckily this was aborted. There was an outbreak of twitter fever as this had started to trent, tweets being retweeted by gay charities and gay rights activists. The advert was a poor imitation of stonewall’s advert that had been featured on the iconic london buses – some people are gay get over it.
It would seem that the basic human right of equality was getting further out of the reach of this LGBT community. Granted, you cannot argue that gay rights have moved on from the 60s but why do we still have to fight for it? As I get older, I feel that I am becoming more aware of my sexuality and the lack of a basic right. Kissing your boyfriend in public can make you feel awkward, like you are being judged and right wing parents are shielding their children’s eyes. Even the simple action of holding someone’s hand will get a raised eyebrow (or a fist depending where you are) to top it off I am getting fed up of the standard interview questions you are bombarded with when someone realises you are gay.
Straight man/woman: Have you always known you were gay?
Me (depending on my mood you will get one of the following:
1)Yes.
2) When I was being sucked off.
The truth being in the former, I have always known I am gay but is it really that relevant? I am proud to be gay, but sometimes I feel I am no more than an animal in a petting zoo. Do straight men and women have to justify their sexual preference to me or even to society? So when did you realise you were straight or how old were you when you told your parents? Those words are never uttered by society.
The last time I had a series of interview questions was a few weeks ago, I was out with the girls and had been introduced to a guy she was dating. The standard ‘gay’ interview questions soon fell out of his mouth, because he ‘found it interesting.’ Why does my sexuality and life style become the focus? He didn’t even ask me where I worked or even if I was having a good night. But I guess visitors don’t ask how the lions are in london zoo they just want to see them recreate a scene from Disney’s Lion King. Even the word that is used to describe my sexual preference is used in a belittling manner or to describe something rotten or inferior. This has become a slang word, acceptable to most yet I find it subtlety homophobic. You might as well just call everyone a fag while you are at it, I don’t see the difference.
So do I need curing? The Christian group claimed it was therapy for Christian homosexuals who voluntarily seek change in their sexual preference and expression. This voodoo cure won’t do anyone any good – the only reason people feel they want to make that sort of change in their life is down to society’s views on homosexuality and the pressure that a community and family had put on these individuals. I was lucky when I came out, it was painless….ok two of my friends choked on their dinner and that wasn’t out of shock. They had been waiting for me to feel comfortable to talk about my choices. It is a big step to take, you never really know how friends or family will react and I have heard some horrific stories of friends being thrown out on the streets and disowned because of their sexual preferences. So perhaps these Christian groups should spend their money on supporting LGBT individuals through coming out and offering them a good christian hand and love. Instead of condemning us to hell for a life style we did not choose, but a lifestyle we indeed accept. There are far greater evils in this world than a man kissing a man……
insearchofoscar 