Peaches & Cream

The Gay & The Homophobe

Two of my best & most treasured friends are a proud & loud gay, and a complete & utter homophobe. Out of necessity, since they both like to hang out with me, they find themselves together a lot. She couldn't stand being in the same room with him, but she put up with it for me, he is so sweet, oblivious & did not know how she felt about him. I knew, but always ignored her discomfort, after numerous direct confrontations with her about her homophobia brought no results. Then he found out from another friend that she didn't like him, and asked me about it, I explained to him that it's not him she doesn't like, it's the whole idea of being gay that she couldn't accept.

One day, they were both with me, and I had to leave them alone for a while. When I came back, I found the two sitting together & chatting like old friends! I didn't think much of it, because he is really an adorable guy & I knew he would win her over sooner or later. What I didn't expect was how he did it. Later he told me, that he opened the conversation with her by saying: "Listen, I know you are uncomfortable with me & can't accept what I am, but I want you to know, it's ok, you haven't been exposed to the idea & you are entitled to your own opinion about it". She then opened up to him & explained how she felt about him being gay & how it was not personal. And so on the conversation continued.

After that, they both felt better, and they became good friends, and even though she still has a problem with the gay idea, she has taken a small step in the way of acceptance & no longer has a problem with gay persons, in fact, she says she has a new respect for him & likes him a lot.

When he told me the story I said: " You know, there is no other person in this world like you!". I mean, think about it, what he was telling her basically is that she has a right to her own opinion even if it's for her to hate & not accept everything that he stands for, everything that he is!! And by his accepting her as she is, he gained her acceptance of him!

I can't help but feel there is a moral for US in this story, instead of fighting & feeling bitter about those around us whom we feel are ignorant, like many of us do (me for one!), what if we accepted that we are unaccepted & simply set out to change the world one atheiophobe at a time? By inducing one good feeling at a time, and one acceptance & respect gained at a time! If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn't have believed it possible. Thank you my darling gay friend for teaching me this valuable lesson :))

posted by Peach @ 6:36 PM