KarMel Scholarship 2005

“Gay at Bay”

By Morgan Vozobule

Desciption of Submission: “Published in our high school paper, originally submitted by myself as the features editor of the paper, then published for reference in future lesson plans investigating the true representation of gays in the surrounding community.” - Morgan

Homophobia can easily be defined as the fear of, or contempt for lesbians and gay men. Yet, in what sincerity do we actually interpret this word? To call your friend ‘gay,’ or to dismiss certain issues, which will solely affect our vastly growing gay community would be considered both offensive and politically incorrect, but in actuality, are the people committing these acts technically homophobic?

Assuming everyone participating in Einstein’s Gay/Straight Alliance Club is of same-sexual tendencies would be close-minded and incorrect. Hannah Wolfe, president of this organization specifically states that being in this club only means supporting gay tendencies, not necessarily participating in them. You wonder if it’s just a fad: to dismiss someone’s specific lifestyle…as if to yell ‘fag’ up and down the hallway is cool. If this be the truth, how long until our heinously discriminating trend grows out? Touching base with someone not-so-out-of-the-closet bisexuals of our school, we find that these terms can in fact be very critical and close-minded. A majority of the homosexuals at our school admit that not even their best friend knows they’re gay. Imagine hearing someone this close to you bash your own kind daily, with you never having the confidence to confess. States like Michigan and Massachusetts are still being run by politicians who outwardly state their opinion on gay marriages being ‘ridiculously wrong.’ Even worse, the 3,227 same sex marriages held in San Francisco over a course of nine days are being protested by Arnold Schwarzenegger, who says that granting these same sex marriages “directly undermines…the fundamental guarantee” of the state. Arguing that their license as a new couple is dubitably legitimate, and should not be revoked, the few judges who refuse to halt these marriages are drowned in havoc for what they believe in.

To create an analogy for all of Einstein’s straight people, imagine being in a relationship with someone you truly appreciated. Picture yourself walking down the street, hand-in-hand, romantically enthralled, until everywhere you look there’s constant criticism for you two being together. Whether it be a male or female whom you enjoy so much, picture being married, and having you subject your so-called true love to countless nationwide protests, disapproval, and hate crimes. All of the above preventing you from being with the one you love, whom everyone in this world is guaranteed to. Wishing you could help the rest of society understand your love for this person, and your right to be with him/her, you may now understand the position of our world’s vastly growing gay population, hundreds of which scream “We All Deserve The Freedom To Marry,’ at countless rallies and organizations. In a recently conducted Gallup’s 2003 Values and Beliefs Survey, readers find that in 2003, “60 percent of voting age Americans think homosexuality should be legal, while in 1992, when the question was first asked, the survey found that only 43 percent thought homosexuality should be legal.” A drastic-17-point change in the past 26 years displays a growing acceptability of these new lifestyles. A 2004 Stonewall Census and Survey asks in one section of the questioning: “Do you know anyone who has successfully committed suicide simply because they could not cope with the pressures associated with being Unique (gay, transgender), and if so, how many? Sadly, the results were: 50 percent of the polled people say yes, they knew one person subjected to the above situation. 16.6 percent said yes, they know two people, and shockingly, 33.3 percent admitted to losing three friends to successful suicide related to their sexuality.

Although homosexuality, in both terms of our community accepting it, and in people proudly flaunting it, has come a long way, equality is still far from existence. To help save just one struggling homosexual person, to understand that your efforts are appreciated somewhere, to voice your opinion and perhaps persuade others to see through your eyes visit: www.archive.aclu.org/issues/gay/aboutgl.html, or http://www.ilga.org, because just one person can always make a difference.

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