When They Talk about teh Gay at school

When I was in school people did the same thing. They would act like we were aliens. Know what I did? I didn't give a crap. I basically told em how it was. Peole are different, people likes different things, you just gotta accept it.

 

I get this out of school. My mums disgustingly homophobic boyfriend (whom I hate) says the most ridiculous shit (gays aren't normal, they choose to be gay, what it the whole population was gay blah blah blah) and I get really argumentative, but it kind of feels out of body because I'm arguing against him as if I was straight, referring to LGBT as if I wasn't one, it does feel bizarre.

 

If they start getting really offensive, then I'd interrupt and tell them to lay off and/or grow up. But a group of homophobes is... kind of intimidating. Most of the time I ignore them.

 

I pretend to not care when I'm around people who don't know, but it either makes me depressed or angry.

 

Luckily I've never had a homophobic teacher, or at least not one homophobic enough to try to convince us that it's wrong or sinful or something. It's mostly just ignorant and immature idiots trying to be cool. I guess they haven't realized yet that it's cool to be open minded.

 

There is a homophobic teacher @ my school, but i dont have him. A couple of friends told me he was the kind of person to make b-s up related to it.. He teaches American History and is also a football coach or something.

Like, he heard my friends talking about gay people, and he called them out about it by saying "Gay's dont deserve equal rights". Like... im fuzzy on the details, but i believe the story (several witnesses lol) and also he just looks down right homophobic xD i know thats terrible, but i just get the feeling about him. He glares at me sometimes, because despite being black, i supposedly give off this "gay-aura" which is fine with me xD But i had to have a friend explain it to me, because really this year a ton of people just glare at me.. On my school bus, little kids i dont know will scowl at me and push me over to get out of the seat and sit on the floor or with other people I know im kind of a bitch to kids, but i dont even talk on my bus, so it must be the "obviously gay" aura i give off.. I mean, I listen to music and talk to NO-ONE. Its eerie how everyone knows with such confidence.



For myself though in school, I've never had homosexuality come up in school other than when a counselor says they respect all people, "even homosexuals" or some other crazy shit xD.

There was a time, when a teacher asked a good question - we had just finished our whole semester, theme was "Dehumanization and Discrimination". We went from slaves to Jews and all over the world (cept gays) and she asked "Do you think, today, in america the fight for civil rights is mostly over" And EVERYONE in the class said yes. I about died inside... I mumbled "what about gay rights?" and she was like "Did you say something" and everyone looked @ me, so i was like uhm... no... *ashamed*

I have trouble expressing my real opinions on social topics or participating in class whenever something might lead to personal religious beliefs, or if its in the ballpark of the sexuality/gender paradigm. I just freeze up and start mumbling my beliefs so no one hears them but I still say them "out loud" so psychologically im at peace... sort of

I find it hard to support gay rights in my community because there are like 4 gay people in my town that i know of (out of 1500 +/- 800). Most local LGBT like place is 90 minutes away ish.
Also, im not used to being so for a cause and being alone in it. I mean, ill always be for Gay rights adamantly, because they hit home hard, but other causes I'm for are more widely supported; easier to be vocal about them, but hey idk, its just my own weakness there.

 

I kind of hope to bring it up in my ethics and class this semester. I mean, its business ethics but damn, it would be nice to speak up to a group of strangers I've never met

 

Oh boy.. I used to hop in on those conversations because apparently I'm really good at masking the fact that I'm bisexual while at the same time curb stomping their 'ideas' of homosexuality into the dirt and correcting them. People can really be retarded sometimes :3

 

I'll be the first to volunteer my self-deprecating humour. I will be the first to make a gay joke and I will be the first to respond to any hate or criticism. I hope I have the opportunity.

 

Most of the derogatory comments often end in 'faggot'... Makes me rather mad...

 

I'm really happy I live in such a humanitarian country as Sweden. Whenever the topic comes up in class most people know that there's really no difference and that just like with different races and cultures, we should accept LGBT people. Our teachers are also very serious when it comes to racism and homophobia, it's not gonna be tolerated to say the least.

But nothing ever really happen, the worst I've heard has been a few straight guys going "Eww" when the topic has been up. It's not like that everywhere though, on the internet people are generally way more homophobic (when they don't need to identify themselves) and in suburbds of big cities like 'Stockholm'. In my old school people were way more homophobic, not like they'd beat gay people up but they would throw homophobic slurs at the feminine guys and just be overall nasty. I really think they should teach kids about homosexuality at earlier ages.

 

Ehh, never had the school experience, so I can't speak to that.

But at my first job, people were always saying shit about gay people (and me, behind my back) and I always saw it as an opportunity to make some guys pretty uncomfortable, haha. I remember once this 16 y/o kid I worked with was like "Do you think being gays a choice or you're born that way? I think it probably is a choice" when he was talking to some other guy there. And I just walked up to him and was like "Well, if it's a choice, then you must be able to choose to be attracted to ME, huh?" and he got SUPER uncomfortable and was like "Ohh, yeah, fuck that you're probably born that way" and started laughing uncomfortably.

You can't back down with ignorant people. You just have to get up in their face and tell it like it is, cause that's the only way you're going to change their mind. You'd be surprised, these days it seems like people usually aren't that invested in their ignorance, anymore, and it's easier to educate them than you'd think.

 

I would say a majority of people at my school are fine with gay people, but most of them never speak up about it. Whenever I bring up LGBT issues in class, it almost always receives positive views. It's weird, for a school district this small and religious being this accepting, but I won't complain.

 

Everyone knew I was gay in high school. The people that were homophobic kept their distance and made crude remarks, but thankfully my teachers knew and stood up for me if there was ever an issue. It helped that I played sports in that I made friends with the 'jocks' so they had my back too. I only caught flack with the religious wing-nuts that congregated in Discipleship (one of our clubs).

Ultimately, I didn't care. I was me and that is all I've ever known how to be and no one is going to pressure me or intimidate me into being something other than that.

But, now that I'm 24 and out of school no one can tell that I'm gay unless I tell them and if they ask I am upfront about it. If a girl starts to hit on me I tell her that I am not into women. In the real world, at least in the US, running into someone who will actually stop to tell you that you are going to hell rarely happens and if it does happen (which it has happened to me before) I just smile at them until they leave. Because what are they gonna do in that situation? It just gets awkward for everyone involved after you've been smiled at for a minute or two for telling someone they are going to hell.

Maybe that can be applied in school I dunno. On another note, if a teacher is homophobic or makes you feel uncomfortable in any way you need to take that up the chain of command. Guidance counselor, Teacher, Principal, however it works in your school take it to them. Feeling harassed, judged, or uncomfortable doesn't promote a healthy learning experience.

 

Yeah same for me. In my old high school, if a teacher made a homophobic or hateful remark, chances are they would be fired before the end of the day. It was a catholic school, but it brings them really bad rep if it gets reported to the media so they shut it down fast. My old school has already had enough bad rep, so they hide it as best they can. (2 teachers were proven pedophiles)

Anyway, in high school I would just hide and pretend to be working when it came up. I was surprised that about half the students were supportive, but the other half were extremely homophobic.

In college, its worse. One time, it came up in my english class and one guy said "I don't get gays. They should all just be shipped to an island and bombed." And no one said ANYTHING. Some even laughed. It was disgusting, but I live in a mostly homophobic town so I'm really not surprised.

 

When it comes up in health classes, they always talk about it as if we are all heterosexual, and homosexuality only exists in the outside world. It's not helping. They act as if we're a rare species and a curiosity that don't exist in a "normal" setting.