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I just want to be equal
Opinion: Being gay is not a reason for someone to be treated differently.
My mother is ashamed of me,and not because of some obvious reason. I am not a bad daughter; I am not rude; I don't get in trouble all the time. I try to do my best in every aspect of my life; I respect people and animals; I love my family and I am in college training to be a vet. That used to make her proud, maybe it still even does...but all of this, all of the traits and characteristics that make me who I am don't seem to matter anymore. All for the simple reason that I was born gay.
I did not choose to be this way; it is who I was from the moment I was conceived. And yet, my mother is ashamed of me, she does not want a gay daughter. It embarrasses her. She thinks people will talk about me behind my back and to my face and mock me and hate me and make my life difficult. All because of the way I was born.
The way gay people are portrayed and treated in this country is why people act like this and have these views. I know that if it was just normalised, that my life, and that of hundreds of thousands of other gay people in this country, would be so much easier.
We are seen to be unequal in the eyes of the law, and because of this people will continue to treat us as second-class citizens, even though we are not. I am a citizen of this country, I pay my taxes, I do not break the law. I vote when the opportunity arises, I am studying and working incredibly hard to qualify from college and get my degree and then, when I do, I will find a job here and work even harder to become as valuable a member of society as I possibly can. Yet I'm still not equal, and why not? What is the fundamental reason? I am confused. What is it to anyone if, in the future, I meet that one special and amazing lady, and I want to spend the rest of my life with her in wedded bliss? How does that affect anyone else?
I have been an active member in the gay scene for about a year now, and the people I have met in this past year are indescribable. I have never met such amazing, kind, wonderful, intelligent, loving, passionate, caring, welcoming and all-round respectable people. And yet, some people still act as if we were some kind of a threat to traditional marriage and family. That is beyond comprehension to me. It is just disgusting that these people are denied their right to be equal in this day and age.
Now, granted, I am a realistic person. I realise that some people, albeit ignorant ones, will never be okay with how I live my life. All I have to say to those people is: this is the way I was born, I did not choose this life; it chose me.
All I want is to be equal and I mean fully equal. Then maybe, just maybe, my mother can realise that being gay is not abnormal, and then maybe she won’t be ashamed of me anymore.
I just want to be equal.
Thank you for reading this.
By: Anonymous
Find information and support:
BeLonG To
Web: www.Belongto.org Phone: 01-873 4184 Online support:belongto.org/support.aspx
Supporting Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) young people.
Further links to LGBT support and information in Ireland:
belongto.org/article.aspx?articleid=118
Information on LGBT issues at SpunOut.ie:
