To be gay...

I started to write about this Amanda Knox character that has been on the news quite a bit. I decided to erase it all and write about something a little more controversial.

All this 'gay and lesbian rights' stuff is getting pretty heavy. Social media has embraced it as a top social issue of our time and people are becoming more and more comfortable coming out.

As I was between classes today I was thinking about how nice it would be to have something in my life that I can really fight for. Something that influences me directly. Then I thought, I wish I was gay. Not for a sexual desire or because of a hidden attraction to men or alternative lifestyles. I wish I was simply able to stand up and fight for something that I would feel I have the right to. Being black is old news. Being Muslim? Ehh, they have a long way before they have a leg to stand on. Being a white male is definitely nowhere near any issues worth fighting for.

I have a fair number of friends who prefer the same gender when it comes to sexual or life partners. This opinionated blog doesn't apply to them. What this blog does apply to is people who seem to use it for attention. Being flamboyant about who you are, gay or not, is ridiculous. Screaming for acceptance gets really old when really, the only difference between a 'gay' and a 'straight' person is the anatomical features of the person they love and want to spend their life with.

Without digging deeper into the 'pseudo-gay' lifestyle, I realized that as I was thinking about having a cause to fight for, I couldn't bear being something I'm not, just to be able to stand for something.

Is this really what our existence is all about? Making sure that we fit into the mold? Lifetimes and generations have been spent lobbying for equality and acceptance. If universal acceptance was commonplace, how would someone stand out as a leader? It seems that the most powerful people have been advocates for bringing attention to an issue simply because people are told they need to care. Whether it's for the advancement of science and technology, political solidarity, sexual acceptance, religion, allocation of funds... You name it, it probably has a spearhead of action in front of it. If you like science enough, you may join a movement to increase science education in schools.. Or if you are a steadfast Christian, you may push for less restriction on religious activity.

My point here is this... Standing for something is cool. Really it is. But how many people really need to be standing for something? So you're gay. Awesome. I don't care either way, so if it was up to me we would drop the subject and everyone could be gay or straight and move on with their lives. We can't though because there are people out there that have a movement of their own restricting rights of people simply because of a personal choice of living. On the flipside of course is the fact that no one really cares about the idea that people are homophobic. It's a horrible circle of self-entitlement and pride that we just can't seem to get rid of.

We want people to care whether we know it or not. The lack of compassion for others creates a divide and people lack the ability to truly coexist. Just like the kid that acts out in public because the parent could care less, we identify ourselves in groups and expect attention from somewhere. Let's grow up. Let's quit acting like spoiled little brats and do something better with our lives.