Discrimination Essay Research Paper Alternative Discrimination In

Discrimination Essay, Research Paper

Alternative Discrimination In today?s American society, it

is expected that young men and young women court

eachother, marry, and eventually raise a family. This is the

kind of life that is expected, the one almost every parent

wants for his or her child. Not all men however are

attracted to women and not all women are attracted to men.

So what is thought of the young men and women who do

not fit in to this predestined lifestyle? Although

homosexuality has become more mainstream, it is still

looked at as an unnatural, unclean, alternative lifestyle by

most. Homosexuals, as well as those who accept them, are

often labeled freaks. My acceptance of homosexuality puts

me in a position where I find myself not only enduring

criticism but also defending my own sexuality, and it is

because of this that I feel there is a limit to how close I can

get to those who oppose homosexuality. I personally

believe that people are people. We all have differences,

whether it be our race, religion, ethnic background, or

sexuality. At one time, it was considered acceptable to

condemn and discriminate against those with dark skin. In

today?s society, however, this behavior is looked down

upon by most and considered despicable. The treatment of

and the assumptions made about gays are despicable and

hopefully will change in the future for the better. I, one

night, found myself in a situation that was reminiscent of

something that would have occurred in the sixties when

ignorance was rampant. An openly gay friend of mine and I

were dancing and minding our own business one night in a

club in Greenwich Village. We were not only verbally

harassed by an observer who was standing near us but we

were also pushed and told to go dance somewhere else.

These kinds of incidents occur all the time. Homosexuals,

as 2 well as those who support them, endure all types of

ridicule. It is okay for someone to have their own opinions

on matters; it is when one imposes his beliefs on others

that it becomes wrong. I have come to realize that the way

I view having gay friends and the way the general public

views having gay friends are completely different. I am a

heterosexual, black female who has a diverse group of

friends. We became friends because we were attracted to

eachother?s differences and we respect eachother?s

differences. Of course, in a group of friends certain

characteristics may rub off on eachother such as the way

one dresses or the slang they may use. Sexuality, however,

is not a characteristic that would rub off on someone.

Sexuality is inborn, that is why I found it ridiculous that

some people felt that my associating with homosexuals

would somehow influence my sexuality. My heterosexual

male friends have expressed fear of my turning into a

lesbian because I am constantly around this lifestyle. To

me, this is the same as fearing that I am going to one day

turn white or one day become a man. All of these fears

have the same level of absurdity and thus prove my point

that the thought process of those who accept homosexuality

and those who don?t are so completely opposite, it is

nearly impossible to make them think otherwise. In today?s

society, most people strive to be politically correct in the

way they word certain ideas or the way they label people.

We should, however, concentrate on being more

politically correct in how we stereotype people and how

we assume negative things about people we clearly have

no knowledge about. People today seem to have no

problem accepting those who have different religious

beliefs, ethnic background, or skin color, yet when it

comes to 3 sexuality there seems to be a high level of

ignorance. The general public stereotypes homosexuals

and because I interact with them so closely with them, I

too am stereotyped and misunderstood. The differences in

opinion on this particular issue make it hard for me to

develop close relationships with those who oppose

homosexuality. eachother, marry, and eventually raise a

family. This is the kind of life that is expected, the one

almost every parent wants for his or her child. Not all men

however are attracted to women and not all women are

attracted to men. So what is thought of the young men and

women who do not fit in to this predestined lifestyle?

Although homosexuality has become more mainstream, it

is still looked at as an unnatural, unclean, alternative

lifestyle by most. Homosexuals, as well as those who

accept them, are often labeled freaks. My acceptance of

homosexuality puts me in a position where I find myself

not only enduring criticism but also defending my own

sexuality, and it is because of this that I feel there is a limit

to how close I can get to those who oppose homosexuality.

I personally believe that people are people. We all have

differences, whether it be our race, religion, ethnic

background, or sexuality. At one time, it was considered

acceptable to condemn and discriminate against those with

dark skin. In today?s society, however, this behavior is

looked down upon by most and considered despicable.

The treatment of and the assumptions made about gays are

despicable and hopefully will change in the future for the

better. I, one night, found myself in a situation that was

reminiscent of something that would have occurred in the

sixties when ignorance was rampant. An openly gay friend

of mine and I were dancing and minding our own business

one night in a club in Greenwich Village. We were not

only verbally harassed by an observer who was standing

near us but we were also pushed and told to go dance

somewhere else. These kinds of incidents occur all the

time. Homosexuals, as 2 well as those who support them,

endure all types of ridicule. It is okay for someone to have

their own opinions on matters; it is when one imposes his

beliefs on others that it becomes wrong. I have come to

realize that the way I view having gay friends and the way

the general public views having gay friends are completely

different. I am a heterosexual, black female who has a

diverse group of friends. We became friends because we

were attracted to eachother?s differences and we respect

eachother?s differences. Of course, in a group of friends

certain characteristics may rub off on eachother such as the

way one dresses or the slang they may use. Sexuality,

however, is not a characteristic that would rub off on

someone. Sexuality is inborn, that is why I found it

ridiculous that some people felt that my associating with

homosexuals would somehow influence my sexuality. My

heterosexual male friends have expressed fear of my

turning into a lesbian because I am constantly around this

lifestyle. To me, this is the same as fearing that I am going

to one day turn white or one day become a man. All of

these fears have the same level of absurdity and thus prove

my point that the thought process of those who accept

homosexuality and those who don?t are so completely

opposite, it is nearly impossible to make them think

otherwise. In today?s society, most people strive to be

politically correct in the way they word certain ideas or

the way they label people. We should, however,

concentrate on being more politically correct in how we

stereotype people and how we assume negative things

about people we clearly have no knowledge about. People

today seem to have no problem accepting those who have

different religious beliefs, ethnic background, or skin

color, yet when it comes to 3 sexuality there seems to be a

high level of ignorance. The general public stereotypes

homosexuals and because I interact with them so closely

with them, I too am stereotyped and misunderstood. The

differences in opinion on this particular issue make it hard

for me to develop close relationships with those who

oppose homosexuality.