Discrimination Essay, Research Paper
Alternative Discrimination In today?s American society, it
is expected that young men and young women court
eachother, marry, and eventually raise a family. This is the
kind of life that is expected, the one almost every parent
wants for his or her child. Not all men however are
attracted to women and not all women are attracted to men.
So what is thought of the young men and women who do
not fit in to this predestined lifestyle? Although
homosexuality has become more mainstream, it is still
looked at as an unnatural, unclean, alternative lifestyle by
most. Homosexuals, as well as those who accept them, are
often labeled freaks. My acceptance of homosexuality puts
me in a position where I find myself not only enduring
criticism but also defending my own sexuality, and it is
because of this that I feel there is a limit to how close I can
get to those who oppose homosexuality. I personally
believe that people are people. We all have differences,
whether it be our race, religion, ethnic background, or
sexuality. At one time, it was considered acceptable to
condemn and discriminate against those with dark skin. In
today?s society, however, this behavior is looked down
upon by most and considered despicable. The treatment of
and the assumptions made about gays are despicable and
hopefully will change in the future for the better. I, one
night, found myself in a situation that was reminiscent of
something that would have occurred in the sixties when
ignorance was rampant. An openly gay friend of mine and I
were dancing and minding our own business one night in a
club in Greenwich Village. We were not only verbally
harassed by an observer who was standing near us but we
were also pushed and told to go dance somewhere else.
These kinds of incidents occur all the time. Homosexuals,
as 2 well as those who support them, endure all types of
ridicule. It is okay for someone to have their own opinions
on matters; it is when one imposes his beliefs on others
that it becomes wrong. I have come to realize that the way
I view having gay friends and the way the general public
views having gay friends are completely different. I am a
heterosexual, black female who has a diverse group of
friends. We became friends because we were attracted to
eachother?s differences and we respect eachother?s
differences. Of course, in a group of friends certain
characteristics may rub off on eachother such as the way
one dresses or the slang they may use. Sexuality, however,
is not a characteristic that would rub off on someone.
Sexuality is inborn, that is why I found it ridiculous that
some people felt that my associating with homosexuals
would somehow influence my sexuality. My heterosexual
male friends have expressed fear of my turning into a
lesbian because I am constantly around this lifestyle. To
me, this is the same as fearing that I am going to one day
turn white or one day become a man. All of these fears
have the same level of absurdity and thus prove my point
that the thought process of those who accept homosexuality
and those who don?t are so completely opposite, it is
nearly impossible to make them think otherwise. In today?s
society, most people strive to be politically correct in the
way they word certain ideas or the way they label people.
We should, however, concentrate on being more
politically correct in how we stereotype people and how
we assume negative things about people we clearly have
no knowledge about. People today seem to have no
problem accepting those who have different religious
beliefs, ethnic background, or skin color, yet when it
comes to 3 sexuality there seems to be a high level of
ignorance. The general public stereotypes homosexuals
and because I interact with them so closely with them, I
too am stereotyped and misunderstood. The differences in
opinion on this particular issue make it hard for me to
develop close relationships with those who oppose
homosexuality. eachother, marry, and eventually raise a
family. This is the kind of life that is expected, the one
almost every parent wants for his or her child. Not all men
however are attracted to women and not all women are
attracted to men. So what is thought of the young men and
women who do not fit in to this predestined lifestyle?
Although homosexuality has become more mainstream, it
is still looked at as an unnatural, unclean, alternative
lifestyle by most. Homosexuals, as well as those who
accept them, are often labeled freaks. My acceptance of
homosexuality puts me in a position where I find myself
not only enduring criticism but also defending my own
sexuality, and it is because of this that I feel there is a limit
to how close I can get to those who oppose homosexuality.
I personally believe that people are people. We all have
differences, whether it be our race, religion, ethnic
background, or sexuality. At one time, it was considered
acceptable to condemn and discriminate against those with
dark skin. In today?s society, however, this behavior is
looked down upon by most and considered despicable.
The treatment of and the assumptions made about gays are
despicable and hopefully will change in the future for the
better. I, one night, found myself in a situation that was
reminiscent of something that would have occurred in the
sixties when ignorance was rampant. An openly gay friend
of mine and I were dancing and minding our own business
one night in a club in Greenwich Village. We were not
only verbally harassed by an observer who was standing
near us but we were also pushed and told to go dance
somewhere else. These kinds of incidents occur all the
time. Homosexuals, as 2 well as those who support them,
endure all types of ridicule. It is okay for someone to have
their own opinions on matters; it is when one imposes his
beliefs on others that it becomes wrong. I have come to
realize that the way I view having gay friends and the way
the general public views having gay friends are completely
different. I am a heterosexual, black female who has a
diverse group of friends. We became friends because we
were attracted to eachother?s differences and we respect
eachother?s differences. Of course, in a group of friends
certain characteristics may rub off on eachother such as the
way one dresses or the slang they may use. Sexuality,
however, is not a characteristic that would rub off on
someone. Sexuality is inborn, that is why I found it
ridiculous that some people felt that my associating with
homosexuals would somehow influence my sexuality. My
heterosexual male friends have expressed fear of my
turning into a lesbian because I am constantly around this
lifestyle. To me, this is the same as fearing that I am going
to one day turn white or one day become a man. All of
these fears have the same level of absurdity and thus prove
my point that the thought process of those who accept
homosexuality and those who don?t are so completely
opposite, it is nearly impossible to make them think
otherwise. In today?s society, most people strive to be
politically correct in the way they word certain ideas or
the way they label people. We should, however,
concentrate on being more politically correct in how we
stereotype people and how we assume negative things
about people we clearly have no knowledge about. People
today seem to have no problem accepting those who have
different religious beliefs, ethnic background, or skin
color, yet when it comes to 3 sexuality there seems to be a
high level of ignorance. The general public stereotypes
homosexuals and because I interact with them so closely
with them, I too am stereotyped and misunderstood. The
differences in opinion on this particular issue make it hard
for me to develop close relationships with those who
oppose homosexuality.