Originally Posted by rach2jlc
I can't articulate it clearly here and so I'm afraid it will come out muddled... but here goes:
I'm just saying that "being gay" right now has nothing about being a legitimate or desirable "way of life." It's about sex with men or wanting sex with men. "Being gay" marks you as a certain way or being a certain "type" of person.
"Being straight," though, IS a way of life that doesn't have to identify itself, it doesn't have to just "be" about sex or whatever else. It just "is" what it is and, with the freedom it offers, becomes a desirABLE way of living.
What's desirable about being gay, AS A LIFESTYLE? The whole makeup isn't such that a young guy can BE honest with himself and say, "who am I? Do I like boys or girls?" and then proceed openly and freely to "know thyself."
This is what I've been trying to explain for a while, but I'll add to it a bit.
Heterosexuality carries with it an assumption of normalcy that isn't broken without some other event occurring. But when people discover that someone is a homosexual (usually because they see them at a table together, kissing, holding hands, whatever) it instantly labels them as a 'gay' and the stereotypes and assumptions associated with it are assumed. The normalcy is instantly broken. But really, homosexuals as a whole are not much different from heterosexuals despite the difference in sexuality. Sexuality is the only real difference, but for some reason all the other negative baggage gets tossed in with it and they're sorted out of normalcy.
If you want to see what I mean first hand, talk to a gay person like they're a real person -- get to know them, inquire about their interests, see what you have in common, etc. and you'll see how much they absolutely respect you for it just like any other person would.