Yesterday afternoon I was walking down Church St. when a group of men driving a truck started laughing at me. I was wearing a pair of green shorts with a tank top, because the weather was hot and that’s what gay guys do.
I knew their look well. It’s what a lot of straight guys do when they’re confronted by gays. It’s that look where they try to convey how silly and repugnant gay people are, and they often throw in a little laugh and sometimes shake their head to signify just how repulsed they are at the freak show before them.
Walking in front of me was an older gay couple holding hands, this is a common occurrence in gay-friendly Toronto. The men in the truck pointed and laughed, while I stared back at them. I wasn’t going to feel intimidated because we don’t adhere to their narrow-minded conventions, so I locked their eyes, but I’m sure as they sped away they muttered about how I was trying to seduce them.
It probably left them secure in the fact that we, meaning gay people, exist to entertain them. We’re so laughable, such a joke in the minds of these men that we can’t possibly be taken seriously as living, breathing human beings. We must know our place as silly nellies.
In retrospect I appreciated their restraint. In the past straight men have actually thrown objects from their moving vehicles at me; once it was a book (how did they know I like to read?), and more than once I’ve had to endure public humiliation by being called a “FAAAAAGGGGOOOOOOTTTTTT” by a group of cowardly men, driving their parents’ car.
So okay, I prefer being laughed at then yelled at. Seriously though, why do guys do this? What’s their problem, and why are they so afraid all of the time? Secure people don’t have to go around trying to make people feel inferior.
On Saturday I was reading a fellow bloggers recent post about an anti-homophobic demonstration in Georgia (the country) that was hijacked by anti-gay clergy who beat and attempted to kill many of the gay-rights supporters. I would link to her post but it appears she has removed it.
Again I beg the question, what are these straight individuals so afraid of? Their fear is so massive that they will kill because of it. They will commit the greatest atrocities to tell gay people that they are worthless, valueless and sick. Their hatred means so much to them that they will violate gay people’s physical autonomy. All of this is perfectly logical in their minds, and worse, they have the support of many people.
I grew up Catholic, and while attending Catholic school I was told several times by teachers that gay people were biological defects, deserved of pity, but not tolerance. The individuals who felt so comfortable expressing these beliefs always cited the book of Leviticus as evidence or justification of their archaic and barbaric reasoning.
Of course, anyone who opened the book of Leviticus and read it for themselves would learn pretty quickly that it lists a whole load of activities humans should not engage in. Among them are not eating shellfish, or wearing two types of fabrics, or shaving their beards. All these “crimes” are considered abominations and punishable by death. Oh yeah, and you’re not supposed to have sex with a woman during her period. But it’s okay to rape her if she’s not putting out when you want her to. After all she’s supposed to submit to the wants and needs of men at all times.
I mean, we all understand that these rules are fallible, and antiquated and well, stupid. But the gay thing stays with us, primarily because people are fixated on what two men do together during sex. I mean, I think that’s the reason. I don’t know about you, but I don’t spend a lot of time thinking about heterosexual sex, and to be honest the very idea gives me the heebie-jeebies, but I live with it!
Perhaps what gets straight men so worked up is that there is a passive recipient in gay sex. Maybe they’re bothered by effeminate gay men because, as well all know, being feminine is considered weak, and why would anyone want to be weak? It does make me laugh to think about how much more pain women endure during their lifetime compared to men, and how high their pain threshold is while men succumb so easily to the common cold.
Considering how corrupted men are, especially when it comes to the whole sex thing, the way that they create boys’ clubs, and actively exclude anyone who is different, how they’re prone to violence, I would argue that it’s straight men who are actually the weakest of all groups.
Straight men. Dear God. Sometimes I can’t believe that I have to exist on the same earth as so many of them. Ladies, don’t let them beguile you with their mediocrity. Trust me when you and your gay bestie are off, they’re talking about how fuckable some lady friend is, and how gross gay men are. Lesbians are okay, because they exist to titillate their sexual fantasies. Let’s not forget that a lesbian’s only purpose, is to give a straight man a boner. They don’t have time for the feminist lesbians though. They’re CRAZY! All this talk about equality, and they don’t even shave their legs. Gross.
There’s this thing that straight men do, that bothers me above all else. Even more than the hating gay people thing and yelling obscenities from their moving cars. The one thing that irks me the most is that they always think they’re an authority on everything. They know it all, even when they’re grossly misinformed.
If there is one topic that I know more than most people, it’s tennis. And every now and again, I like to test a straight men’s inferiority complex by talking about the latest tennis news and what not. Sure enough, each time the straight man, in all his manly knowledge, pretends to know something about the topic, even though I spend most of my time correcting him. But I’m wasting my breath, he’s a MAN, sports is his domain, and I’m a lowly gay. Barf.
To be fair, straight women can be just as bad. I don’t know how many times I’ve been asked, “Who’s the man and who’s the woman in the relationship?” Or the proclamation, “I don’t believe in gay marriage.” Who cares what you believe? Because you’re a bigot, and don’t believe in equality, it means that every gay person must accept legal limitations on their freedom to make you comfortable?
Once I was walking by Massey Hall in Toronto when a group of straight girls drove up to me, and asked “Are you gay?” to which I answered, “Yes.” They crumbled into fits of laughter, saying “He admits he’s a faggot!”
I’m not even going to mention the time that I was chased by a group of women after a Tori Amos concert who proceeded to hurl insults about how ‘girly’ I appeared, and of course, the f-bomb was dropped often.
Oh well, I guess this is my adversity, and one that I’ve been able to overcome so far. It would be nice if straight people weren’t such entitled asses though.
I’ll leave with a quote from Nina Simone: “You don’t have to live next to me, just give me my equality!”
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