Last month, as declared by President Obama, was the month we as a nation are to celebrate the existence and accomplishments of the Lesbian, Gay, Bi-sexual, and Transgendered crowd. I, being unaware, walked into work and found this nonsense shoved down my throat, and was told to be happy for them. Ok…but I guess I miss the point. If someone is Gay, Lesbian, Bi-sexual, or Transgendered, what does that have to do with their accomplishments? What does it matter if they are heterosexual or homosexual? They are accomplished and I will applaud that, but I don’t understand the necessity of celebrating their sexuality. We don’t celebrate heterosexual accomplishments, and in fact it has been declared against EEO practices to even bring up heterosexual activities. If someone talks too much about their heterosexualness, they are reprimanded, disciplined, and often fired. It’s ridiculous.
I love my LGBT counterparts. I think they are wonderful people, but I don’t define them by their sexuality, nor do I see their accomplishments in life as being due to their sexuality. When I have to arrive at work and have someone’s sexuality crammed down my throat just because they are considered a minority group, I find it inconsiderate, counterproductive to their cause, and overall inappropriate.
I know that there are many people who advocate for the case of equality for all those of the LGBT crowd. I applaud such efforts, and hope they continue. I hope that equality is granted to everyone, and that people are judged for what they do and do not do. But the problem with this month is we are not celebrating those who advocate the equality of LGBTs and heterosexuals, but instead we are celebrating the lifetime accomplishments of those who have publicly announced and embraced their homosexuality. We are not celebrating their fight for the “cause” but instead are pinning up their lifetime accomplishments as though they are in some way accomplished because they are in fact homosexuals. This is absurd.
Hi Keith
It’s not about the sex. I was gay when I was a member in good standing. I was gay long before I married my wife. I lived in a world permeated with heterosexuality, surrounding and enveloping me.
People talked about their lives and mine had to remain hidden. My hopes, my dreams tightly wound inside myself, silently choking me.
In my town,there’s the Italian festival, the Greek festival, the Japanese Buddhist have a community celebration. I even gone to a Sikh celebration and countless pioneer days.
Unlike what I was taught, and even how I was treated, I go to pride events and celebrate that my life has value. I say again, my life has value. And that is not nonsense or absurd.
Suzanne, it was not about personal intrinsic value. I have this same aversion to all forms of mandatory national celebration that separate us out and isolate any particular group. I am a fan of the “melting pot”, and yet, I understand the necessity of retaining our individuality. My particular problem in the OP was that it was being forced. If a community wants to have an open celebration to demonstrate or enjoy their culture, I am all for it. I think it’s wonderful. But the way the month was declared gave me the impression that it was not the accomplishments of gay people being applauded, it was the fact that gay people had accomplishments. That just bothers me.