A Better Society

This was my big moment. I had the podium. My entire junior year was sitting before me, waiting for me to make my pitch on why I should be class president next year. My heart was pounding. My palms were clammy and my throat was just so dry. A shiver went through my spine as I stepped up to the mic. I tried to speak but words didn't come out. I looked down at my pre-approved speech, took a deep breath, and then glanced at the cross at the back of the auditorium. I gave it one last try before I incoherently mumbled out my generic sales-pitch of free pizza fridays and relaxed dress code and sat down before anyone could politely clap.

I had practiced coming out in front of a mirror the night before the big speech, but couldn't do it. The only other gay kid I knew at the time didn't last long after he had come out. I was just too scared to do it myself. It would be another two years before I would have the courage to come out to anyone close to me.

Homophobia implies a fear of homosexuals, but it is homosexuals who are often afraid of being themselves. It takes so many forms, damaging in all of them. From not being allowed to marry the person they love to being kicked out of their house because they came out to being denied services because of their orientation to being called a faggot while holding hands with their boyfriend. All of these are forms of homophobia. The acceptingness that people are less that people just because they love someone of the same sex.

No one should be afraid to love someone just because they are the same sex. We are an accepting society, as long as everyone is the same as that person. The same wealth. The same ethicity. The same values. The same tastes. That is not a strong society. What makes our society truely good is when we accept everyone for who they are. When we accept people's differences, we allow them to build up an even better society than anyone can accomplish on their own. This is why things like homophobia, and other discriminations bring down society.

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