Personal Narrative: Why Are You So Gay
“Why are you so gay?”
The first time I was asked this question was in the 7th grade at 13 years old - far before it pertained to any form of sexual orientation. In middle school, of course, I had no orientation, much less a sexual one. At this age, I had no idea what ‘gay’ was; I only knew it was offensive and meant something others didn’t particularly enjoy.
Growing up in a small town in South Carolina, I’ve been asked this question more times than I could count. What began as a simple query rapidly became rumors, speculations, and slurs, and led me to seemingly inescapable denial. If it wasn’t this pointed question, it was a derogatory remark, both equally painful. I was an anomaly, and society made sure I knew it.
For the entirety of my life, I …show more content…
I ripped off my tailored mask; I stopped lying, and I stopped hiding. I began living unapologetically with no regard for approval.
So, here’s my answer. I am so gay because I could be married one day and fired the next. I am so gay because forty-nine beautiful members of my community were senselessly murdered, and America said they were “in the wrong place at the wrong time.” I am so gay because 42% of homeless youth are LGBTQ+. I am so gay because prejudice against the LGBTQ+ community accounts for 21% of reported violent hate crimes. I am so gay because even in 2016, America still has no federal antidiscrimination protections for my community. I am so gay because the institutions that condone cultural intolerance, police brutality, mass incarceration, racism, rape culture, and sexual assault are the same ones that think my Constitutional rights are exclusively heterosexual and cisgender privileges. But most importantly, I am so gay because I am so fortunate to have been afforded a loving support system that gives me so much courage that it would be dishonorable and unjust not to live my life as visibly as possible to empower those who cannot
The first time I was asked this question was in the 7th grade at 13 years old - far before it pertained to any form of sexual orientation. In middle school, of course, I had no orientation, much less a sexual one. At this age, I had no idea what ‘gay’ was; I only knew it was offensive and meant something others didn’t particularly enjoy.
Growing up in a small town in South Carolina, I’ve been asked this question more times than I could count. What began as a simple query rapidly became rumors, speculations, and slurs, and led me to seemingly inescapable denial. If it wasn’t this pointed question, it was a derogatory remark, both equally painful. I was an anomaly, and society made sure I knew it.
For the entirety of my life, I …show more content…
I ripped off my tailored mask; I stopped lying, and I stopped hiding. I began living unapologetically with no regard for approval.
So, here’s my answer. I am so gay because I could be married one day and fired the next. I am so gay because forty-nine beautiful members of my community were senselessly murdered, and America said they were “in the wrong place at the wrong time.” I am so gay because 42% of homeless youth are LGBTQ+. I am so gay because prejudice against the LGBTQ+ community accounts for 21% of reported violent hate crimes. I am so gay because even in 2016, America still has no federal antidiscrimination protections for my community. I am so gay because the institutions that condone cultural intolerance, police brutality, mass incarceration, racism, rape culture, and sexual assault are the same ones that think my Constitutional rights are exclusively heterosexual and cisgender privileges. But most importantly, I am so gay because I am so fortunate to have been afforded a loving support system that gives me so much courage that it would be dishonorable and unjust not to live my life as visibly as possible to empower those who cannot