 I'm finally comfortable being straight by Jake Fields, Conservative Texas Youth
My whole life I've felt out of place. Even when I was growing, up I knew I wasn't normal. How could I not? I saw couples in the streets together; guys with guys, girls with girls. More than anything, I wanted to walk hand in hand with my girlfriend, but I didn't want to be stared at.
It's not just staring, though. Straight Hate is everywhere: people call things "straight" when they really mean dumb or out of place; movies cast stereotypical straight characters as comic relief; and Congress debates whether civil unions can apply to a man and a woman.
I wish I could say my childhood were different, or at least better. You can't blame my parents; it's the way society influenced them. Two men living together in a cookie-cutter gay suburb don't want a straight son like me, just like their friends don't want their kids to be around "the straight kid." I realized a long time ago that our secular, gay society doesn't hate me — they just don't want me converting their kids.
In high school, I was pretty much hated by a majority of the population. People would ask me, "Why are you straight?" As if being straight was a choice. Whatever TV show said it was a good idea to show up at prom with your hetero date was wrong. It's practically suicide. Never again was I just "Jake." I was, "The Straight Kid Jake" or "Isn't that the pussy-eater?" Jake.
My sexual preference has never been easy. Until I got to UT.
When I found out that there were others like me in Conservative Texas Youths, it's like I was accepted for the first time. No more awkward conversations with my parents. No more apologetic confessions of being straight when guys hit on me. No more feeling guilty for being the way I am.
I've finally found a club where my sexual preference isn't an issue. Sure, homosexuals might feel uncomfortable when we have our straight pride rallies, but shouldn't we get a day to feel normal? After all the discrimination that we face?from our government to the rest of society &mdaash; I just like having fun with my other straight friends.
CYT has a lot of great plans coming up this year. I can't wait for our "Straighten out for mid-terms party" or "I'm okay, you're o-gay Parade." I know some people might be offended by this — they feel that we don't like gay people or we think we're better than they are. Really, it's just a way to celebrate our own suppressed way of life. |
