September 12, 2009

Here it is the first post of the Online Gay Straight Alliance. This week I want to talk about Gay stereotypes and what makes someone gay. Please note that when I use the word gay I mean anyone in the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender (LGBT) community. So let’s start off with some gay stereotypes.
Some people believe that being gay is just a phase. Many gay people have sought therapy, reverse gay counseling, and some even get married to suppress the gay feelings. Sometimes the feelings can later surface, resulting in divorce or adultery.
Another stereotype is that all gay men will die of AIDs and are only concerned with sex. What many people don’t know is that AIDs is not just a gay disease. In fact women account for 50% of the deaths by AIDs for the world. And gays are no more sexually active than heterosexuals.
Many people believe that gay men must be feminine and that lesbian woman must be masculine. This isn’t true. A person can be feminine or masculine no matter what sexual orientation they are. It’s part of a person’s personality.
Some people, both of the homosexual and heterosexual community, believe that bisexuality isn’t a real sexual orientation. But in fact it is. While some people identify themselves as bisexual on their way to identifying themselves as gay, this isn’t true of everyone. It’s also believed that people identify as bisexual to be part of the trend or crowd. But if you think about it, why would someone want to identify with a community that is hated. It isn’t easy being bisexual, or for that matter any member of the LGBT community.
There are many arguments on to what makes someone gay. Some say that it is part of a person’s biological make-up. Scientists have been searching for the genetic gene for years. Others believe in the “nurture” argument. They say that gay men were the product of overbearing mothers and weak fathers. Some think letting girls play with cars and boys play with dolls makes them gay. These people believe that it’s the person’s environment that makes them gay.
Others believe in the “love” argument. This argument states that you can’t help who you love. When someone develops a crush on someone, they don’t pick the person. It just happens. It’s the same way with homosexuals. They develop crushes on the same gender.
What are your views on these stereotypes? Any other stereotypes you know about? What do you believe makes someone gay? Well just leave a comment so others can read it too. You can make it anonymous if you want. And tune in next Saturday for “Bicurious and Questioning Your Sexuality.”
-WriteOnMySoul