Friday, February 20, 2004
For whatever reason, I have a lot of gay men in my life. Now, I'm not one of those girls that seeks out gay best friends because they are trendy. True, a handsome gay man on your arm is a great accessory, but that is not how I use them. I unwittingly happen to latch on to in-the-closets. My first real boyfriend, for example. Yep, gay. My best friend since high school, who came out when we were juniors in college, saw ex-boyfriend kissing a guy at the one gay bar (that I'm aware of) in Springfield, MO. When he called and told me about the scene, of course I was a bit shocked, but it made sense. Ever since I have learned of the ex-boyfriend's lifestyle, I have been dying to get hold of him and give him a big hug and tell him how happy I am for him. It must take such nerve to come out of the closet in a place like Springfield, MO, a town crawling with conservative Southern Baptists, who are all too frightened of going to "Hell" to come out of the closet. D's parents were Southern Baptists. When they came to visit us in college we had to hide the beer on my closet shelf. D's sister's weren't allowed to go to high school dances because dancing is sin. They were both pregnant by age 16, as were both of their daughters, making D a great uncle by the age of 20. D coming from this Southern Baptist family is exactly the reason that I thought he would never come out of the closet. But he, of course, did come out of the closet. And then there were 3. These lovely men, with the exception of the ex-boyfriend (who had a major impact on my life, but is no longer in my life), are my best friends. I love them dearly; they are family to me. All it takes is someone saying, "That's gay" to set me a-fumin'! I don't tolerate the intolerance of others. Similarly, knowing that I am sensitive to that subject, and also knowing that when someone says, "That's gay" that they aren't purposely gay-bashing, I try to make a huge effort to not say things like, "That's Jewish" or "That's retarded." Anyway, let's all try to remember that everyone is entitled to the lifestyle that they choose, the religion that they choose, and no one person is better than the next. The only people who deserve to be ridiculed are those that think the color of their skin or the god that they worship (etc...) makes them superior. I'd love to stay up here on my favorite high horse, but The Bold and the Beautiful is on. Is Brooke's baby Ridge's or Nick's?
