What does it mean to be gay?
What does it mean to be gay? I’m just gonna use Jimmy as an example. Now I want you to imagine for a second that 95% of the world is gay. The same sex relationships, couples is what is typical in our society. Now we’re gonna plop Jimmy in this society. Jimmy is straight.

Jimmy wakes up in the morning on a Saturday. He loves cartoons. He sits down and there’s a show and there are two little boys, the shows about how they like each other. He doesn’t think anything of it seeing as every single cartoon on the television is a same sex cartoon. He goes to school and boys are asking boys out and girls are asking girls out, and he feels awkward. He trys to talk to a few boys but something doesn’t feel right to him.

Fast forward and Jimmy is now thirteen years old and he’s in middle school. Everywhere he turns there’s boys and boys dating and girls and girls dating. They’re holding hands, they’re kissing in the halls. Jimmy feels really uncomfortable. All of his guy friends are like, “So have you found a guy yet, you find a guy you’re interested in, you find a guy you like?” He doesn’t know how to respond because naturally, no, he hasn’t. He doesn’t wanna be with a guy.

As Jimmy is walking around he is terrified. Some of the guys are catching on that, well, he likes girls. They push him, shove him, beat him, call him names, degrade him, and say “How could you like women?” They throw him around like he is nothing. Like he means nothing. They laugh at him, mock him. And Jimmy feels absolutely alone. Jimmy comes home from school that day, his Mom says, “How was your day? How are you doing?” and Jimmy says “Ah, you know, it’s great.” He flips on the TV and of course, there’s a show on television, a reality show of men dating. Which guy will this guy end up with?

Jimmy is now seventeen years old. He knows for a fat that he like women but he is terrified of admitting the fact that he is attracted to females. He decides, “I’m guna go to the mall with my friends.” As he walks into the mall there are couples holing hands. Guys holding hands. He walks by a poster and the poster is of two women walking with a child. Jimmy looks around a feels so out of place. As a girl walks by he notices himself checking her out, and he is ashamed of himself.

Jimmy’s now in his twenties. He is happily with a woman that he loves and cares about. He calls his parents for Christmas and says, “Hey, how are you? I miss you. How’s your Christmas?” They say “It’s great, how are you?” He say “It’s great you know, I spent it with Sally.” There’s a silence on the phone. “So you’re still with Sally, huh?” He says “Yes” His mother replies “I wish you could just be happy and realize that you belong with a man. You were made to be with a man.” Jimmy doesn’t know what to say. He’s heard the same line over and over a thousand times. Jimmy hangs up the phone.

When you ask me what it means be gay, or a lesbian, I don’t always think of the negative things. I have a fabulous life. I’m happy, I’m content with myself. Being a lesbian is only a small part of who I am. But, alas it is a part of who I am. And it’s kind of deems as being different.

So if you ask me what it means to be gay, this is what I’ll tell you. Being gay means I have the opportunity to love what is uncommon. And I am okay with that. I do not cry myself to sleep. Or am upset by the life that I lead because of who I care about. Because I accept the fact that it is simply love. People can view it any way they like it. People can put a label on it and categorize it. I could be stereotyped as what kind of lesbian I am, and what kind of lesbian I’m not. I could be looked at as hypocritical, or, I could be looked at as incredibly wise.

But at the end of the day I love who I love. Being a lesbian is being a straight person. It’s having brown hair. It’s having green eyes. It’s part of who I am. It’s a collection of what makes me, me. Yes, it’s different, that’s the reality. And although I lead that life where people may look at me differently or not fully understand me, I’m proud of it. Because in my heart I find a connection with them. Love is the same. It has no right or wrong answer. Being a lesbian, it’s just, loving who I want to love.