Let's face it: Homosexuality is real. The love a person has for the same sex is a beautiful connection, but sadly, it, along with everything else in the world, cannot come without consequences. Gay men and lesbians are constantly shamed and made to feel guilty about who they are. In fact, suicide is the second leading cause of death among lesbian, gay and bisexual youth. LGBTQIA youth are four times greater to commit suicide than heterosexuals. Not to mention the bullying, harassment, and verbal abuse they have to endure just to make it through the day. It isn't fair for someone who loves someone of the same sex to feel as if they aren't normal. It needs to stop. The stigmas surrounding homosexuality need to end.
Homosexuality is something we fail to mention in our school systems, as well as talking about the different kinds of sexuality-like bisexuality, pan-sexuality, asexuality and gender identity. Studies have found that homosexuality is actually biological and not a choice. Why would Sally choose to be in a relationship with a woman because she felt like it? It wasn't until 1973 homosexuality was ruled out as not being a mental illness. During the 1950s and 1960s therapists conducted treatments where they showed a homosexual man a photo of a naked man, then either shocked them or give them drugs to make them vomit. When they felt they couldn't take anymore, they either showed the gay man a photo of a naked woman or they set them up with a blind date with a young woman. These treatments proved unsuccessful.
Instead of going after the homosexuals, why don't we start going after the people who bully them? Instead of shaming gay men, lesbians and bisexuals, why don't we shame the bullies who do this everyday? They don't understand, and so they feel it is okay to verbally and physically abuse the gay kid walking across the hallway. This kind of behavior must stop. Start accepting, and start loving. If we bring awareness to the different kinds of sexuality, how different would our world be if we actually understood that it is okay to love someone of the same sex?
It also depends on what career field you decide to go into. It might be fine to be open about your homosexuality if you were working for a news station, but not exactly at a law firm. That needs to stop as well. People who are good at their job and simply want to do business should not have to worry about whether they will get fired or discriminated against. Gays, lesbians, and bisexuals have lost their homes, their access to needed medication, and their treatments such as antibiotics because they are under the umbrella of homosexuality. What if they really do have a sexually transmitted infection? They are not allowed to have the medications associated with them getting better as well as fighting the infection.
If this makes you as furious as it does me, I challenge you to love and accept. The stigmas surrounding homosexuality need to end.
