I came out when I was 17, almost two years ago, however I have known that I was a lesbian for a long time. There are two things that continue to frustrate me beyond comprehension:
1. Gay/Lesbian movies/ television shows being filed under "Alternative Lifestyle"
2. Match.com
Considering the first, how much more can that be ostracizing an entire community? How would it be if every movie revolving around "black" people was put in a separate place? Why, when referring to these movies are they classified as having "gay couples"? When you read a description or summary of The Notebook, or P.S I Love You, do the words "straight couple" come to mind? That would be absurd if every movie started with, "Bobby and Mary, a straight couple from New York..." But it is perfectly normal to read, "Jane and Sara's lesbian relationship..." Or how about As The World Turns, one of the most popular daytime Soap Operas. When you pick up a copy of Soap Opera Weekly, are the shows described as being ones of heterosexuals and their daily lives and trials? But go ahead, Google The L Word. My favourite is probably the Wikipedia entry, the first line reading, "The L Word is a television drama series on Showtime that portrays the lives of a group of lesbian, bisexual and transgender women and men and their friends..." (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_L_Word). How about just, "The L Word is a television drama about a group of friends from California..." etc.
And second, what?!?!? Am I not entitled to find a match because I just happen to like people of the same sex? Would it be that difficult to add an "interested in" feature? Not only is it the fact that Match.com is strictly heterosexual, but I have found that finding a same sex partner is really a lot more difficult. I did not meet my partner by chance, we were introduced by a mutual friend.
I'm not sure why of all the discrimination that people like me face, these two are the ones that top it. The two that infuriate me like no other.
Isn't it time we started loving people for who they are, and not hating them for who they love?
You've hit it! That's a major problem with society today! We ostracize people we do not understand simply because we don't understand them. Yet, how many people do you know who actually take the time to understand a concept they don't understand that makes them a little uncomfortable? I'd be willing to bet not very many.
Exactly. It is along the lines of creating schools specifically for gay students, but I will be writing a blog about that within a few days. Surprisingly, however, I actually have a had a lot more people than you would think that have actually wanted to learn more and have asked me questions. Sitting in class one day a boy kept asking me all about it and one of his friends was like, "Dude, leave her alone." But honestly, it makes me so happy because I'd rather be bombarded with questions than have people be ignorant.
I think that people are normally expecting couples in move or TV to be straight. They purposefully tell people that the show or move is about a gay couple to alert the audience. I don't think that it is a bad thing. You don't want people going into a situation expecting one thing, and then feeling like they were tricked when they are finished watching.
Right, but the thing is, at this point in time we should not be EXPECTING people to be straight. Because honestly, I am getting quite sick of people just assuming that I am. Or basing their opinion of me on that.