[Grasshopper]

When I was in high school 30 years ago, the thought of anything about homosexuals, gays or lesbians made me ill. I attribute that to being young and immature. I am straight, and have no interest in being with a woman, but over the years, especially since I’ve been exposed to all different lifestyles, I have become very accepting of ‘alternative lifestyles.’ I attribute this to the fact that I’ve worked for Social Services for 10 years and have been exposed to different cultures, as well as to my ability to ask questions of the people in these cultures. This includes Afro-Americans, Latinos, Vietamese, etc., and gays. I suppose it has to do with what you have been exposed to (I grew up in middle-class, all-white suburbia, with a father who was extremely prejudiced against anyone who didn’t fit into the ‘white’ lifestyle). One thing about working for a government agency – you are surrounded by a wide variety of different cultures/lifestyles. For the past five years I have experienced friendship with many gay friends, and have had the opportunity to ask all the questions I’ve had for so many years about the gay lifestyle, how they ‘discovered’ they were gay and the hardship they have had to endure in ‘coming out.’

Last year I was honored to be the ‘best man’ at my friend’s gay wedding (which, of course isn’t legal yet in California). It was a wonderful ‘committment ceremony’ that I will treasure forever. I just returned from a visit with my relatives in Minnesota, who are very ‘Christian.’ I had to go on this visit because my uncle has cancer. They seemed repulsed when I mentioned the wedding I had attended, which didn’t surprise me. I only wish I had had the fortitude to tell them that because of my emergency trip to Minnesota I was unable to fill my committment in an AIDS Ride.

I only wish narrow-minded people could open their minds and accept alternative lifestyles. After all, when we are cut, don’t we all still bleed the same way? Actually, I only wish my straight friends were as devoted to real friendship as much as my gay friends are. Oh, my nickname, Grasshopper, was given to me by a friend – because I continue to search for answers to my questions.

User Detail :  

Name : Grasshopper, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Lutheran, Age : 46, City : Carson, State : CA, Country : United States, Occupation : Social Worker, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Lower middle class, 

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