Today I received a phone call from someone very close to me who was concerned about my sexuality. To me, it seemed like an effort to influence me to "come out of the closet". I won't point out who it was who called me but will address the "concerns" that were brought up because they seem common.
The concerns were sparked by my stance on gay rights which the person who called me saw it as something I am "obsessed" with. These were some of the questions I was asked:
*Who is it that you are representing?
*Who do you know that is gay?
*Are you struggling? Is Satan lying to you about your sexuality?
*Why are you promoting sin?
First I want to address this person's concern that my compassion for homosexuals must be because I'm "struggling" with it myself or have a great deal of companions who are.
(I put struggle in quotation marks, because obviously as a heterosexual, I don't consider homosexuality a choice. People confront me with absolute certainty that homosexuality is a choice which to me is silly because I can't choose it. If these people know it's a choice then it's a choice they could make too, but I can't say it's a choice because I don't see it as an option. I have a hard time believing someone can choose to be sexually involved with someone of the same sex the same way I choose to wear a black shirt rather than a white shirt some days.)
Back to the point. It seemed so surreal to this person that I could care for someone who wasn't like me or one of my close friends. I will now list some other groups which I am not included in but still care about:
-Muslims
-Jews
-Black people
-Italian people
-Women
-Olympic High Jumpers
-Canadians
-Puppies
-The Elderly
-The Homeless
The list goes on and on.
The next concern I will address is the idea that I am promoting "sin".
I wouldn't consider it promoting sin, because I don't feel like I'm encouraging people to be gay.
Yes, I would always encourage someone to be themselves and if that means being gay then so be it.
I wouldn't consider it promoting sin, rather I would consider it accepting "sin".
If this means choosing between hating someone for sinning or loving them, I feel I must be damned to choose love.
(Again I put sin in quotation marks because I feel like I have a choice to either shoot the cashier at the Shell station down the road in the face or not, but I can't choose to be gay. Sin, to me, is a fault. Cheating on your wife, raping a young girl, stealing the farmer's chickens are things I consider sins. Loving someone you feel attracted to is not a sin to me. It's a relief to be attracted to women and I'm very lucky to be in a relationship with Lauren who I love very much. I would hate to be told I'm a sinner for loving someone who has blonde hair and pretty eyes. I would never understand why I was looked down upon for being attracted to this person who is to me, beautiful.)
Maybe I am obsessed with understanding where and why this hate erupts.
Maybe I am obsessed with the fairy tale of a nation who accepts people for who they are.
I'm so sick of this "I know I'm a sinner but not as evil of a sinner as these homos!" attitude.
Unfortunately, for the person who called me I will not be coming out of the closet today to confirm their theory that in order to care for them I must be one of them. Pretend I'm gay, I don't care.
This is a stance on an "issue" that I will not apologize for. I respect anyone's diasgreement and opposing views on the "issue".
"You without sin, pick up that stone."
Peace, Love, Popcorn.