Choosing to be honest with oneself is the key to love. Follow that inner voice that says “you’re who you are supposed to be and that you’re perfect just the way you are.”
I remember listening to my inner voice as a teenager throughout my young adulthood and not knowing what to do. In the confusion and lack of guidance, everything was a disarray of emotions. It was a time of self-discovery, an adventure to flourish into the woman I am today.
Recently a discussion in a sociology class at Linn-Benton regarding same-sex couples really disturbed me because I’m a lesbian and I don’t feel like I was being represented fairly.
The discussion became intense quickly, and my fellow students had very strong opinions regarding same-sex couples. Of course I acknowledge that they’re allowed to have opinions, but I don’t think I was prepared for the words that came out of their mouths during the discussion.
It brought to light the fact that many of today’s students don’t have a clear understanding of what it means to be part of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender community (LGBT).
Being LGBT is not a choice, but love is a choice; and everyone has that right, so of course we choose to love whoever.
“Approximately one in 100 American women and two in 100 American men identify as homosexual, with another four percent of Americans identifying as bisexual,” according to statista.com. “Homosexuality is still a controversial topic in the United States, but polls and surveys regarding its moral acceptability or the legalization of same-sex marriage show an obvious trend towards acceptance and tolerance of the LGBT community among the American population.”
There was a portion of the discussion where we discussed discrimination. A couple of my peers spoke up, but I wasn’t prepared for what they had to say, such as certain businesses being okay to turn down services because of their religious beliefs, and that certain companies are “too pricey” for gays to afford.
Discriminating against anyone because of personal beliefs is bad business period, and you shouldn’t be in business.
