Welcome to the linkup of blog for a cause! This linkup is about focusing on a world that is outside of ourselves, onto something else that is greater than any of us. I am spreading awareness to help inform others of different things, because I believe that ignorance is something that is helpful to finding cures/happiness. This is a two day event, so be sure to tune into the other cause that is near and dear to my heart.
Many people don't understand what it's like to be different, and how hard it is to figure out who you really are may or may not be accepted by everyone. Whether it's discovering that you are bi or gay, discovering that you'd rather be known by a different gender than your birth one, or discovering that you're just not into anyone sexually, there's more to life than being a guy that likes a girl. Unfortunately, not many people realize that.
I am an ally of LGBTQIA network. Yes, that was a mouthful. It stands for Lesbian/Gay/Bi/Trans/Queer or Questioning/Intersex/Asexual. Being an ally simply means that you support the people that go by any of those things. This is something that I believe is important, because I feel like everyone should have equal rights, straight or not.
When I was younger, I was a bit more conservative than I am now. I now wonder if it's due to the fact that I didn't have enough knowledge about the subject, or the way that I was exposed to the subject. (My family is still a bit more conservative than I'd like them to be). In high school, I met some lovely people through my friend Griffin. They were a part of our school's gay straight alliance, and were heavy advocates for the cause. During this time in high school we had days of silence, and wore purple in order in to raise awareness.
Meeting those people really opened my eyes, because it taught me that everyone deserves to have the same rights as others. To this day, it bothers me that people still think that being gay is a sickness that should be cured in some way shape or form. It's not. It also bothers me that people think that gay marriage is something that shouldn't happen because it's not between a man or a woman. Last time I checked, marriage is something that happens between two people that truly love each other, in addition to cherishing and respecting each other. It shouldn't matter whether or not they are a man and a woman, two men, two women, or two gender-queer people.
The biggest thing that bothers me the most is the fact that it's still not as accepted as it should be. I know people that throw the word 'faggot' like it's going out of style. Whenever I hear that word use in that manner I want to throw something at someone because it's something that has to stop. Same thing as the word 'gay.' Being gay isn't something that's bad, and using those words to describe something that is like saying that being gay is bad. Which is not. The same goes for people who are transgender. It's just the way that you're born, and what makes someone happy.
This is an issue, because I feel like many people still don't get it. I am a straight heterosexual woman, and that comes with it's own set of stereotypes. But it's still the norm. Gay/bi is still working it's way into the norm, which is something that should be celebrated. However, we often leave out the gender-queer people because of lack of information and lack of looking towards the color. I think that we live in a black and white society, and we often don't realize how giant the gray areas are. Gender-queer, which is when you don't register by a gender, is something that I've learned about through a friend, and is extremely difficult for one to explain. Not many people accept it, many get frustrated easily, and it's something that needs to be acknowledged. Gender is a tricky issue for some, and we have to realize that in many ways, shapes, and forms.
People should be accepted for who they really are, regardless of gender they chose to be, or who they love. Being different is difficult. But, I want to leave you all with this thought. Are they really that different? They are human, have blood going through their veins, breathe through lungs, and see the same world as we do. They cry at the same things. They eat the same foods, are subject to the same illness, and die in the same veins. Therefore, they should be treated like human beings.
