Recently, a high school in Itawamba County, Miss., cancelled its prom after school officials learned that senior Constance McMillan planned on wearing a tuxedo and bringing another girl as her date to the dance.
This story made national headlines, and the American Civil Liberties has made efforts to file a lawsuit against the county school district. Constance’s story caught the attention of famous gay activist Ellen DeGeneres, who invited the young woman to her show. Ellen awarded the senior a $30,000 scholarship, and promised to give Constance and her peers the prom they deserve.
In similar news, the openly gay Democratic congressman from Massachusetts, Barney Frank*, was bashed by protesters who were screaming the obscenity that, “starts with the letter ‘f’ and rhymes with the word maggot”, as one CNN anchor put it.
Most sensible Americans have removed racial slurs from their vocabularies, yet many still harass homosexuals with hate-filled name-calling. Segregation is no longer accepted, but homosexuals are discriminated against on a daily basis. They aren’t allowed to marry in most states, they aren’t allowed to be in the military if they’re open about their sexual orientation, and many straight people are too uncomfortable to be around them.
Do these injustices sound familiar to anyone else? Don’t we, as a country, regret enslaving and then mistreating African Americans? Of course we do. So why are we treating this group of people the same way?
When I was a sophomore in high school, I received an assignment that required me to write a research paper on why gay marriage should be legalized. I found plenty of evidence support my stance on the issue, and the information I found really opened my eyes to how poorly the gay community of America is treated.
It allowed me to understand the 10 percent of Americans who are attracted to people of the same gender. If every heterosexual American did research on the issue as I have, maybe the gay population of our country would be allowed the same rights the rest of us are; maybe we would understand them instead of shun them. After all, prejudice and hatred stem from ignorance.
I am a straight woman who was raised in the South. I was also raised in the Catholic Church, which recognizes homosexuality as a lifestyle choice, and therefore a sin. Many churches believe the same way; some even feel that these people can be cured of their homosexuality.
This is complete nonsense. Many studies have been done to disprove the idea that sexual orientation is optional. According to a press release from Stanford University, one piece of evidence lies in the hypothalamus, which controls sexual behavior. The hypothalamus is larger in women than it is in men; however researchers have found that the hypothalamuses of gay men are notably larger than those of straight men. This is just one piece of evidence that juxtaposes the commonly-accepted idea that homosexuality is a choice.
For some, religion has nothing to do with the aversion they feel towards homosexuals. We all take cues from our parents, whether it’s what career we pursue or what habits we develop. We also take on the beliefs our parents have, such as viewing gay people as living a wrongful existence.
However, we’re all growing up, and now is the time to develop our own opinions on the issues plaguing our society. We will soon inherit this country and all of its problems. It is up to us to change the way the homosexual population is treated in America. If the generation before us that experienced the civil rights movement hadn’t been open-minded enough to change the way racial minorities were treated, America would be a completely different, terrible country.
The same goes for our generation: if we don’t open our minds and hearts to this group of people, our country can’t move forward. It’s important that we take years of history courses because we must learn from our predecessors’ mistakes. However, we are allowing history to repeat itself by turning our heads away from the injustices homosexuals are suffering.
I decided to develop my own beliefs on this issue, instead of listening to what I had been told to believe my whole life. Since I decided to be open-minded about homosexuality, one of my closest friends felt she could come out to me. She felt like she had nowhere else to turn. She couldn’t tell her family, or the rest of our friends, because she knew what would probably happen – she would be judged and shunned. Offering her support has done a lot for her, and she is now happy, and thriving as a gay woman.
Unfortunately, many young homosexuals don’t have someone they can turn to. Sometimes, when they think they do, they receive such a negative reaction from their loved ones that they begin to think something is wrong with them, and feel as though there is only one way out – suicide. A Web site called HappyPlace, which focuses on mental health issues, reported that thirty percent of all teen suicides occur because of the inner torment young homosexuals experience when they have no one to turn to. These are people’s children, brothers, sisters, cousins and friends who desperately need understanding, love and support. It is so critical that our generation works to become more understanding about homosexuality.
It is so critical that our generation works to become more understanding about homosexuality. Now is the time to amend state laws that do not recognize gay marriage, and to promote understanding in the military rather than to force gay soldiers to hide behind a mask. It’s pretty of bizarre that a country which prides itself on being the land of opportunity for people from all walks of life so vigorously discriminates against homosexuals; could we be more hypocritical?
Nora Donnelly is a sophomore majoring in communication. She can be contacted at [email protected].
*Editor’s note: Originally, this sentence mistakenly referred to Emanuel Cleaver, a Democratic congressman from Missouri, instead of Barney Frank, a Democratic congressman from Massachusetts. The Reflector regrets this error.