Recently, someone confided in me with what I think is the secret of all secrets. I consider it the ultimate secret because of the repercussions that my friend could potentially face if others knew. It’s as if he has committed a crime and hasn’t been caught yet.
You might feel bad about concealing the secret and it might eat at your conscience but some would take all of that, over being labeled a homosexual.
The United States of America is supposed to be home of the brave and land of the free. What I want to know is, why one of the bravest things someone can do, is being open and free about who they love?
After knowing my friend for a good half of my life, words can’t express how surprised I was when he recently told me that he was gay. My first thought was, how could I have missed this?
And when I finally came to an answer, I was ashamed. Up until this point, I thought I had loved people and relationships without prejudice. Turns out, I had succumbed to believing in obtuse stereotypes. Just because my friend was funny, athletic, tall, handsome and popular does not mean that he is automatically heterosexual. How ignorant was I, thinking that I could pick out any individual and accurately guess their sexual orientation?
Loving who you are and whom you love is not wrong. The fact that no love is the same is just proof that there is someone out there for all of us. Who we choose to spend our life loving, is different for everyone and for our consent only. I believe that love is a universal experience that should not be tainted or judged. Life can be hard, we have all experienced a different struggle. I believe that we shouldn’t deny anyone the joy of making those hard times worth it.
The majority of my hometown is made up of conservatives and church-goers. I can’t help but worry and wonder if they will treat my friend differently one day. This isn’t just an issue for one individual residing in my small community of the single-minded, this is an issue that is spread across our whole nation.
Mississippi just passed a law that promises not to punish those who refuse service to people who oppose their religion with same-sex marriage, extramarital marriage, and transgender individuals. North Carolina has their own offensive laws in order as well. Liberals in the city of Charlotte, NC, attempted to advocate for those oppressed, and the state of North Carolina banned any anti-discrimination against the LGTBQIA community. These are just two examples of atrocities occurring in our “free” nation.
One day, I hope sharing our sexual orientation will not have to be a secret. Being with the one we love should enhance our life, instead of being the means for discrimination. Don’t be as foolish as me and reduce anyone to a stereotype or an assumption. It’s easy to exclude yourself from a society that is evolving, to resort back to dated beliefs and books. Let’s be brave, and open our minds to the freedom of loving whoever makes those hard times worth it
