Some days it certainly feels as if the world verses those of us who are gay and lesbian (transgender and bisexual). I didn't realize I was a lesbian until I was in my early 30's. Had I known earlier, I doubt I would have said anything because I only heard anger, fear, and/or prejudice when anyone spoke about homosexual orientation. Not being able to openly discuss one's sexual orientation provides many opportunities for ridicule and hurt.

As a child, I played with all the boys in the neighborhood. By the time I was eight, I had decided that I wanted to be a major league baseball pitcher. "Girls can't pitch in the major league." But I had to become a pitcher. I hated the kitchen: cooking, washing dishes, grocery shopping. Baseball was rewarding and I was a pretty good pitcher already!

In high school, I opted for debate team, thespian society, and the in house television repair crew! I heard the slightly veiled comments made about my choices but I didn't have the courage to ask why these choices weren't considered as appropriate for a girl as cheerleader, choir, or gymnastics.

The world, it seemed, had set specific standards for male and female. The military dishonorably discharged gay men and lesbians. Families institutionalized their "queer" children and put them through horrible electric shock and other treatments in order to "change them" and make them "normal."

The sad reality is that as a world, the standard for "Normal" has been set and gay folks don't fit that norm. Rather than talk with us and attempt to understand our relationships, it is easier to consider us abnormal and perverted. Sacred Scripture is misinterpreted according to the norms of those who do the interpreting.

Gay and lesbian people are thought of in a way similar to most diseases; yes, it's here, but we don't want any part of it. To consider a gay person "normal" would mean questioning the normalcy of heterosexual.

Fear is one of the greatest reasons the world versus gay people. Amazingly, gay men and lesbians look and act very much like heterosexual women and men. Since we often can't tell one from the other by looking, we must look at sexual relationships (something tangible and a huge part of human interaction). If Adam and Eve were the first couple (a man and a woman) then, coupling of people other than woman and man is unnatural and to be feared and scorned.

If the truth were known, not every group of humankind opposes homosexuality; some embrace heterosexuality, homosexuality, and asexuality. My perception is that the more developed the people, the greater is the belief in heterosexuality as normative and the greater is the phobia, fear, and aversion to homosexuality.

There are simply too many people on the planet that must see someone as wrong, perverted, sinful, "bad" in order to place themselves as good, wholesome, and good people. Life is too short for us to harp at one another about sexual orientation. What if.....we decided to work together to mitigate poverty, increase safety, encourage energy and natural resource conservation, and work side by side without fear or mistrust of the other? We can certainly do more by accepting one another than we can when we are engaged in adversarial relationships.

Learn more about this author, Claudia Windal.
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