As I find myself sitting at my desk in my stuffy office at work, I am starting to get worked up. Things during the work day are going less than smoothly. I start to get frustrated with all the issues piling up on my desk. But nothing makes my blood really boil until I hear the conversation going on in the showroom just beyond my own four walls.
I hear a couple of bigoted, uneducated, small-minded ‘people’ (I hesitate, almost gag, to call them people, because in my book, people are hardwired with more compassion than a tree stump. Apparently I need to check my sources.) talking down about Caitlin (Bruce) Jenner and her recent decision to get her sex reassignment surgery and how “sick” and “disgusting” it is and “Who the f**k does that?”
Lots of people the f**k do that, that’s who.
I don’t often use the word “hate;” it’s a strong word. But let me tell you something. I hate the awful attitudes of people like that. I hate having to listen to conversations like that and not be able to say something for fear of being punished. I hate arguing with people about simple human rights. I hate how hard my heart hurts for people who are viewed as lesser because of their differences. I hate the way this world has become. And I have something to say about it all.
Before I begin: No, I am not a specialist in human behaviors and nature and so on, and so forth. I am not a member of the LGBTQ community myself, although it seems like a pretty kick-ass place to be. This article is all simply my opinion, coming strictly from a place of love and respect for other people. (And I will not be arguing anything having to do with religion, either; I live with my boyfriend whom I am not married to and *gasp* we have great sex all the time, and according to my understanding of the guidelines of sinning, that makes me just as guilty as a homosexual. Sorry, not sorry.)
If you’ve got a problem with homosexuals, or any member of the LGBTQ community, for that matter, hop on the band wagon with tens of thousands of other people filled with bitterness and hate for differences amongst humans. But don’t you dare ever, EVER, ridicule or spit venom at someone for their differences. We as human beings were all placed on this planet for the sole purpose of residing in harmony. Nobody has a God-given right to cast out other people for their differences. I agree, everyone most certainly has a right to their own opinion. I’m sitting here at my computer exercising that very right this moment. But the second your opinion is used as a means to hurt someone else, discriminate or rob them of their happiness, that is when you are crossing a very serious line. We were given love as a tool to build relationships, and we use hate as a wrecking ball to destroy everything we’ve ever created, as a match to burn every bridge we’ve ever built to connect ourselves with others.
I firmly believe that a lot of the lashings out at the LGBTQ community are purely out of fear. People are afraid of things that they do not know or understand. Instead of trying to grasp different concepts, though, people lash out in hate and do terrible things to others. But fear and a lack of education are absolutely no excuse to act like human garbage.
Do not put other people down because of their differences. Okay, so you would never get a sex change? Good for you. You can’t picture yourself with another person of the same gender? Awesome. You don’t know why some man would enjoy….‘that’? Cool, a lot of people don’t get it. But guess what? There are people out there who do get it. And that, my friend, is the only goddamn thing that matters. Do not concern yourself with the details of other people’s lives, especially people you do not know. If you can’t accept someone for their differences, keep trying. Take a step back and think about it. Don’t instantly reach for your weapons and try to convince others why the thing out there that confuses you (and yes, scares you) is “so wrong.”
People get worked up about the thought of someone shoving their beliefs down everyone’s throat. Understandably so; not everyone wants to hear about your sexual preferences. But can we take a peek at the other side of the coin for a second? How do you think a homosexual person feels about people screaming at them about how they need to “be straight” and what they’re doing is “sick” and “wrong”? That’s literally the thing you people are getting mad at them for. “Don’t wave your homosexuality in my face.” Well, with all due respect, don’t wave your hetero psycho bullshit in their faces, either. Problem solved.
The statistics of people who have attempted or have succeeded in committing suicide due to ridicule and excommunication after coming out as homosexual, transgender, etc. is truly heartbreaking. I have dealt with the effects of this close to home, and my heart hurts. There are so many people out there who live their lives afraid of exposing who they truly are, and what quality of life is that?! There are people who can’t offer up who they truly are, who by default wind up living a lie. That is the saddest story I’ve ever heard.
Here; educate, don’t discriminate:
There are so many beautiful souls out there, and if everyone tried a little harder to enjoy all of the various colors on our palette, I think the world would be a much happier place. I hope that would be the case, anyway.
We need to remember to respect everyone, and try to embrace them for each and every one of their differences. Don’t be so damn afraid of things that you don’t understand. Maybe our behaviors are hard for other people to grasp, too, and I’m assuming we’d all like to be understood fully. So if you’re feeling a little compassionate, take some time to pull your head out of your a** and breathe the fresh air. If you still wanna hate, go ahead and keep it up there. Nobody wants to hear your rude opinions; they make my skin crawl.
Much love,
J
grammatiqueen 