Here's the thing: I'm dating a girl.
When I reveal that fact, there are two different reactions I usually get.
The first is obviously the homophobic one. The one where I'm a product of some sort of evil, unintended, dangerous force and my final goal is to pervert the youth and recruit them to the dark side. I don't pay much attention to that one, mainly because those people are dumb.
The second reaction I get is one of overwhelming support. This is more common than the hate some people throw my way, which is both comforting and a compelling progressive change. My friends have repeatedly told me that if I break up with my girlfriend, they'll force us back together. My family, when I randomly brought home a girl and called her my girlfriend, simply set another place at the dinner table for her. The acceptance of my choice is palpable in the people with whom i surround myself, and I'm so greatful.
But, on the other hand, I feel like I still have a journey ahead of me. My goal is that, when I tell someone I'm seeing a girl, they respond no different than if I told them I was dating a boy. I want homosexuality to be treated just as normally as heterosexuality is treated and, eventually, I simply want love to be treated like love.
To me, there is no difference in the love between my best friend and her boyfriend and in the love between my girlfriend and myself. They may very well be expressed differently, through different words and through different touches, but it's still love and love is something beautiful. It's something that's rare and elusive. So, when someone is lucky enough to find it, who's to say that the person they've chosen invalidates the love between them? Who's to say that it's wrong?
I love my girlfriend. A lot. She is someone I never thought I'd find. But while I am altogether in awe of her, I just want to be normal. I want to be treated like someone who had the luck of finding someone to spend their time with, instead of being treated like a girl who found a girl with whom to spend her time.
So, next time someone comes up to you and says they're dating someone that would not satisfy the heterosexual qualifications, don't treat them like an exhibit that you have to worship in order to show your approval of them. Just treat them like a friend or like a sister or a brother or however you normally treat them. That will make them feel more accepted than anything else. I promise
