On March 2, 2016, not even one month ago, I used The Odyssey as a means of coming out as gay to my family and friends. Today, March 27, I experienced homophobia firsthand; after receiving such a positive reaction from those I love, I'm ashamed to say that two words, spoken by a total stranger, impacted me more than I care to admit.
"You're disgusting."
Two words, two simple words, had the ability to crush my self-confidence and leave me in tears. Despite the hundreds of positive messages and an outpouring of kind words, a single sacrilegious sentence made me feel worthless and insignificant.
I cannot stress enough that your words carry weight, and unfortunately, negative remarks all too often pack a stronger punch than positive ones. While I wish I would have spent my Easter surrounded by positivity, my hope is to use this deplorable experience to shed light on the fact that words have the ability to hurt, in some cases, more than physical pain ever could.
All my life, I have always considered myself to be an emotionally stable person. I typically handle stress well, rarely express anger, and seldom show signs of sadness. Growing up with two brothers, I also have abnormally thick skin; (joking) insults were commonplace in my household and sensitivity fell by the wayside. Between my friends and my family, my life is essentially made up of sarcastic comments, so I'd say that I'm used to having questionably rude remarks thrown my way. But, there's something so raw, so real, about having a complete stranger, someone who knows nothing about you, be it your personality, integrity, character, etc., look into your eyes and attempt to degrade who you are as a person. Quite frankly, if I'm being honest, as I sobbed to my family members shortly after the incident, I realized that although this individual knows nothing about me other than my sexual orientation, the words uttered from their mouth momentarily broke me in ways unimaginable.
As I write this article, I want to make it known that I do not want your pity, or even your sympathy. After speaking to those I love most and being reassured that the content of my character will forever outweigh my sexuality, I ask that you pity the individual who attempted, yet ultimately failed, to demean me and make me feel as though I am lesser. Being an open-minded person, someone who strives to understand all points of view, I am not even upset at said individual for believing that "being gay is not okay," but I am upset at the sheer lack of respect for another human being. At the end of the day, stripping away sexual orientation, skin color, ethnicity, and religion, human beings want nothing more than to be respected and acknowledged.
Today, I realized that there are people in the world who succumb to evil; individuals who will jump at the chance to spread a message of hate rather than love. Today, I challenge not only myself, but all of you, to stand in solidarity and continue to reject prejudice, renounce discrimination, and embrace not only a message of love, but a sense of respect for every individual you encounter.
