SEX AND SEXUALITY.. BAY-BEEby Cherrybomb

I am extremely mad. Tonight there was a meeting for MYLink (this local organization I'm involved in) we were working on our youth conference coming up in May (Ed. as you can see we are a bit behind putting Wonky togeter). I can't believe how narrow-minded some people are. The main theme of the conference is "World Issues" which is VERY broad. I thought it was just beautiful until I realized that what everyone thought was a world issue didn't coincide with what I thought. Not that there's anything the matter with that. Far from it. I can totally understand. The only thing is... they didn't think sexuality was a world issue BUT racism, religion, and sexism was. I don't know... but in my mind sexuality kind of fits in with that. Just to clarify what I mean by sexuality I basically mean sexual orientation and that was also the understanding of everyone there. Here were their arguments on why we shouldn't include sexuality as a small component of our conference. you sexy thang

1. It will cause controversy.
2. People are entitled to have their opinion.
3. It won't make a difference if we talk about it anyways.
4. It will take too much time.
5. Why bother? It doesn't really effect us.

OMI!! Okay I don't know what you guys are thinking. Hell you might totally disagree with me but I think these are some of the most ignorant, and half-witted reasons I've ever heard. At least come up with something that sounds educated or informed!! (Although I can't really think of any educated reasons for leaving it out.) Of course I couldn't stand it, so being the loud opinionated girl I am I spoke up. Here's what I thought of these reasons.

Argument #1: It will cause controversy.

Controversy is a good thing sometimes. It makes people think. It makes people passionate about something. What a conference like this one, which obviously is going to be incredibly dull, needs is some passion, enthusiasm, and lively discussions. No progress was ever made without controversy and disagreement. Maybe this topic at this conference isn't going to generate progress but it sure can't hurt to try and start the ball rolling.

Argument #2: People are entitled to have their opinion.

Totally granted. BUT (and I cannot believe there is a but here) if it's not okay to think black people are inferior why is it okay to think that gay/lesbian/bisexual people are? Man, oh man! Wouldn't the black people there have been mad if I had said racist things. But it was okay to say things about "faggots". (Hell I know what some people out there are thinking, queers are reclaiming the word fag. I know they are, hell one of my friends is a fucking Fag with a capital "F". But ya know how you can just tell when people mean it in a bad way? Well that was quite obvious tonight.)

Argument #3: It won't make a difference if we talk about it anyways.

ARGH! If everyone said this what kind of world would we live in? I mean we have to start somewhere. Maybe it won't have a large impact. Maybe it won't have an immediate impact but somewhere down the line, in the future in a small way it will make a difference. At least that's what we should all hope for.

Argument #4: It will take too much time.

Argh! Sorry this one does not deserve a fucking response.

Argument #5: Why bother? It doesn't really effect us.
I didn't think that these words could actually come out of one person's mouth, let alone THREE different people's mouths. HOLY SHIT!!! Now this is just plain ignorance. I mean it does effect us. Maybe it doesn't effect everyone in a big way right now but there are gay/lesbian/bisexual people out there and it will effect EVERYONE soon enough. It does effect us! It's a form of discrimination. Some day everyone will have to come to terms with the way they discriminate against these people in subtle or not so subtle ways. They'll have to deal with it when a family member, friend, or child comes out to them as homosexual.

Tonight made me very mad!

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