Ten Years Later, Perspectives Have Changed

October 28, 2008 by Anonymous

It’s been ten years since I have had the pleasure of meandering down a school corridor, observing my fellow classmates interact with one another.

On the surface, it doesn’t seem like much has changed. The hairstyles are a little different and clothing has adopted a certain casual motif, but if you merely glance around, school life is the same that it has always been. I still notice groups of people united by the same goals or interests. Otherwise known as the jocks and nerds and all the cliques in-between, people still seem to be defined by their social circle…or lack thereof. Or are they?

I happen to be a homosexual. I learned this at the age of 11. I was terrified that my friends at school as well as my enemies and the people I wanted to be friends with would one day find out my “abnormality.” I wanted nothing more to fit in and admitting my “flaw” as a gay man would undoubtedly place me in a land of exile and desolation. I finally admitted my sexual orientation when I was 22 and while there were consequences, living life truthfully has been worthwhile and gratifying.

I paraded about as a proud gay man, and surprisingly, people accepted me. In fact, through my efforts, many of my closest friends became people who once renounced homosexuality. However, as my life unfolded and I grew as a person, I wondered why I advocated my orientation so adamantly. Don’t get me wrong, I very much believe that GLBTs (gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transsexuals and everything therein) deserve the same rights as breeders (“heterosexuals” for those that aren’t familiar with our lingo).

But as time waxed on, I couldn’t get over the fact that we as an independent culture seemed to demand that the rest of the world love and accept us with open arms in addition to our legal rights as human beings in the free world. Did my life have no more meaning than what those around me dictated? I wasn’t happy that I had become so reliant and dependent on everyone else to define my station and calling in life. I began to work diligently to end that dependence.

I am now 28 years old. I should mention that I am no longer a proud gay man. I am simply a proud human that happens to be male and gay. My sexual orientation no longer defines me; simply it is an extension of which I am, part of the many facets that comprise my essence and worth as a human being. Life is much more fulfilling this way as it lets me pursue my dreams and aspirations without concern and regard for acceptable social practices and stereotypical notions for a gay man. Freedom truly is a state of mind.

Curiously enough, no one seems to care about my homosexuality anyway. Not one person has avoided me, chastised me, or threatened me because of my apparent sexual orientation and if you believe in stereotypes, I would certainly fit the bill in many ways. This amuses me because I am quite sure the opposite would have proved true ten years ago with my peers. I watched it happen to the one brave soul in my high school who did admit to being gay. He suffered untold anguish, constantly teased and renounced as nothing more than a fag. I sometimes wonder if he possessed enough internal strength to rise above his tribulation.

His story, however, doesn’t seem to be the case anymore. I know that hate still exists. There will always be extremists and misguided individuals that judge based on fear and ignorance, but overall, it seems that today’s youth, the future of tomorrow, have finally begun to integrate.

Taking a closer look at the young people around me, I notice that the cliques of yesterday seem to be replaced with groups of people comprised of an eclectic selection of diversity. I watch athletes, homosexuals, and intellects all eating at the same table in the cafeteria. Friendship seems to have fashioned a new look; a much more evolved effort based on new criteria that no longer includes pigment, sexual desire, and other social issues. Am I confused or is this really the case? Are we finally evolving to a new social precedence, one that precedes complete social integration? I hope. I hope.

--Jason Anastasia
Columbus State student