But I say all that to talk about another touchy subject in my extremely conservative, Christian family: homosexuality. I'm probably gonna get some hate for the next half of this blog, but please remember: everyone is raised with certain morals and values and these were/are mine. You don't have to agree with me, but I do hope that you respect me enough and understand that I'm entitled to my own opinion.
From the time I was little I was taught that homosexuality is wrong, a sin in the eyes of God (a fact that is taught in the majority of Christian churches where I live). I was around 7 the first time I ever remember using the term "gay." I don't know where I learned it from or how I even got a basic idea of what the word meant. At the time, I thought the word meant that you loved someone who was the same sex as you, which, technically isn't that far from the actually definition. Problem? I was playing with my cousin and said that he was gay for loving his dad. With the vague definition I had of the word, I wasn't wrong. My uncle, at the time a preacher in our denomination, chewed me out to the point that I was in tears. I had no clue what I had done wrong and didn't understand where I was wrong. Gay was all about loving someone like you, right? It would be years before I truly learned the connotation behind the word and understand what it was that had made my uncle so mad that night. After that night, I knew that the word "gay" wasn't something to be taken lightly. If something small like that made my uncle, who NEVER yelled, that upset, I knew it was something serious.
Junior High and High School are probably where I got the most exposure to homosexuality. There were always a few kids, most of them guys, that people would talk about and speculate about their orientation, but even then it was never a major issue. Maybe that was a blessing of living in a small town. Most of us accept each other for who/what we are. There was a kid in my driver's ed class that everyone would talk about, but he was just too cute, in my opinion, to be like that. Imagine how upset I was when at the homecoming dance that fall he preferred to dance with a senior guy and not me. After I realized that he really was gay, and it wasn't just kids talking, I accepted it and moved on. That's just who he was...err..is and it never bothered me or anyone else. Maybe this is the moment that I began to pull away from my traditional family values.
People are people and as a straight female, I don't want someone to tell me who I can or can't love because who I love doesn't fit their idea of "right" or "normal." How is that fair?! I know what my faith teaches, but I also know that living a life of fear and shame isn't a life anyone should have to live. I'm sure everyone has heard about Prop 8 out in California. While I don't really talk about it with my family, I'm glad it was repealed. I can't imagine what it must be like to feel so scared or ashamed of your lifestyle that you have to hide it from the people that should understand and love you no matter what: your family. To live in fear that those who are suppose to always be there for you won't accept you the way you are, I just can't even begin to try to put myself in those shoes.
So where does a "good Christian girl" get off on a tangent talking about homosexuality? Degrassi. I was catching up on last night's episode this morning. This season, for the first time (I'm pretty sure) in television history, a teen drama is featuring a major storyline on a FTM (Female to Male) transgender character, Adam.
His story had me in tears. I've fallen in love with awkward, adorable Adam and to see his character going through this really made me think. I honestly can't imagine what life for a transgender must be like. I know it's hard enough for me to "fit in" and according to society I'm "normal."
The best thing about the story line? Adam has a family that, for the most part, accepts him. His friends, while they may not completely understand, still accept him for who he is. The worst? The bullying and teasing that is unfortunately part of it. I know it shouldn't be, but you can't deny the fact that people will always question what they don't understand. Kids bully and make others feel inferior, but adults are no better with their stares and whispers. To wonder when people, especially your family and friends will accept you, or even if they ever will. I dye my hair and my family freaks out. Trying to get people to accept something as important as who you are as a person...I just can't wrap my mind around it.
I think this story line will be a great conversation starter, whether it's kids who are looking for a way to explain to their parents and friends what they're going through or for someone like me to be educated on the topic and start a discussion with my friends. LGBT is a cause that this conservative, Christian girl thinks needs more attention. No one should feel ashamed, scared, or have to deny who they are.
For more information on LGBT check out this site.
What about you? Do you like Adam's story line? Does it make you want to be more involved in a fight for equality? Those of you that have been watching Degrassi as long as I have, do you see any similarities between what Adam is dealing with and what Marco went through when trying to come out to his friends and family? Comment with your thoughts on the subject or Degrassi: The Boiling Point in general.
<3 Jen
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