This is a page for things that inspire us, stop and make us think, strike a nerve, etc. Any thing on this page can be discussed on the Message Board.
Chip Slade on Bisexual
I’ll admit it. I grew up sheltered from most of the ugliness in the world. In my family, among my friends, it didn’t matter the color of someone'’ skin or their religion or even their sexual preference. Recently, I moved to North Carolina where I have seen hatred and jealousy. Here’ I’ve seen one group of people judge and condemn another for nothing more offensive than the gender of their mate. The lack of compassion and the outright prejudice I’ve been witness has amazed and offended me. Are we not in some way all the same? Aren’t we, all of us, just trying to find happiness in the world? Should we not be happy for the person who does find it, regardless of the sex of the person they find their happiness with? They offer hope to us, and renew our belief that happiness, and possibly love, still exists out there. Yet some individuals choose to cast stones. The part that surprises and saddens me so much is that I am not speaking of the radical, Right Wing, middle-aged men we normally associate with intolerance. I am speaking of how certain members of the gay and lesbian community treat bisexual men and women. How can any member of a community that has had to fight so hard to not be judged by a society of predominantly different sexual orientation turn around and pass judgement on someone who genuinely finds both sexes attractive? I can only think of one answer. It is easier to hate. It makes them feel better to have someone to look down on, someone to sneer at in the hallways. I beg you, please don’t take the easy road. Don’t do to others what has been done to you. If you see a couple, don’t pay attention to their sex. Instead, look and see of they smile at each other. Look for all the little signs that they are in love. if you find them, then just be happy for them.
INTRO TO LYN'S SPEECH ON HOMOPHOBIA
Think back on what it was like for you to be
in high school. Were you popular, Camden? Elizabeth, did you have a lot of
friends? If you weren’t popular, do you remember what it was like to be a
little bit isolated in school? Do you remember what it was like to not have
anyone to sit with at lunch?
Do you remember what it was like to bring your
first date home? How excited you and your friends were about the latest crush?
Do you remember getting all dressed up to go to prom, the hours spend finding
the perfect dress, just the right shoes?
So do I. Except I never got to go to my prom.
I never brought my first date home. And I certainly was never popular. Instead,
I was the queer girl on campus. When you were dancing at the prom, I was being
told my date and I weren’t allowed in. When you were bring your date home to
meet your parents, I was calling mine a really close friend. When you were
passing notes in class, I was being whispered about and called a dyke.
Homophobia has ruled my life since I was a
freshman in high school. My parents had never expressed anti-gay sentiments, so
I never worried about what it was like to come out of the closet. For me it
wasn’t an issue. Though my parents didn’t know that I was gay, they had
always taught me that gay people were just like everyone else. I showed up at a
public high school wearing my pride rainbow and the very first day, someone left
a note on my locker telling me dykes weren’t welcome there.
I’m not the only one. Homophobia touches every gay couple, through out their entire life.
SOME OF MY BEST FRIENDS ARE
STRAIGHT
by Ron Romanovsky
Try not to laugh at the clothes that they wear
Didn't mother teach you that it's not polite to stare
Don't make a scene when you see them arm-in-arm
It's best to just act casual as if you're not alarmed
Just look the other way if they should dare to show affection
And hope to god that they use condoms for their own protection.
Just try, try, try to open up your heart
This world is big enough for some of us
To play a different part
It's not fair to persecute them for a simple twist of fate
Some of my best friends are straight.
Try not to wince at their backyard barbecues
Be tactful when you tell them that their socks don't match their shoes
And when they drive by in their souped-up automobiles
Don't shout, "You look ridiculous up there on those big wheels!"
Though the lifestyle they have chosen seems a bit outrageous
Take comfort in the fact that their condition's not contagious.
Just try, try, try to open up your heart
This world is big enough for some of us
To play a different part
Although at times their preference makes them hard to tolerate
Some of my best friends are straight
We've got to understand they cannot help themselves
And if it disturbs you, perhaps you have those tendencies yourself!
Try not to gawk when you see them at the mall
Don't freak out at the gym if one should share your shower stall
Try not to smirk at the hairdos that they sport
Though at times you'd like to haul them off to Fashion Court
And if in fact you find yourself compelled to intervene
Just gently recommend they find a barber who's a queen
Just try, try, try to open up your heart
This world is big enough for some of us
To play a different part
Although they have a tendency to overpopulate
Some of my best friends are straight
Now I might not want my sister to take one on a date
But some of my best friends are
One of your best friends could be
Even someone right beside you could be straight.
Write it yourself, find it on the net, read it somewhere, hear it in a song send it no matter how long of short. It will get reviewed and maybe posted. E-mail it.
