Why Gays Are to be Treated like Any Other

I am not gay, but there is always one in every generation of my family.

When I was young, I was effeminate that my Mom wanted me to be a priest. LOL!

Maybe my consciousness revolted against the idea that I shed off that trait as I grew up. But my younger brother got that familial aberrant gene. And my nephew and uncles and cousins on both sides of the family.

In short, I have lived among them and have taken to their being “different” from the rest of us.

The irony is that deep inside, they are not any different from us. We just made them so.

They have the same physical, physiological, and emotional needs as you and I. They just have a different sexual preference.

And because of that, society has made them pariahs. They are mocked, discriminated against, laughed at, even abused.

We forget that their being what they are is not a deliberate choice but a handiwork of Nature. We forget that they also bleed, hunger, cry, yearn for love and companionship.

They cannot help being what they are as much as we cannot help being what we are.

Besides, except for their preferences, under the microscope, nothing distinguishes a gay from any Tom, Dick, and Harry.

So the least you and I can do is to give them a break Maybe, just maybe, it will help ease the burden society has forcefully heaped upon them like:

1.  Childless and alone in their old age:

Studies show that gays are four times less likely to have kids compared to non-gays of the same age group.

It means they grow old alone, with nobody to help them in times of need.

Government programs, like Medicare, can’t cover long-term nursing home care, and because of discrimination, only 3% of gays are covered by private long-term insurance (National Bureau of Economic Research).

2.  Poorer than non-gays:

Workplace discrimination limits a gay’s capacity to build a substantial retirement nest egg.

In fact, about 5% of elderly gays are poorer than non-gays, according to a study done by the University of California, L.A.

3.  They have peculiar health problems:

Other than HIV which infects 70% of gays and bisexual men, gays suffer from mental issues like loneliness, depression, isolation, and thoughts of suicide, according to SAGE (Strategic Advisory Group of Experts).

And because of fear that they might be mocked or laughed at, many of them do not seek medical aid until it is too late.

4.   Discrimination:

Being gay is a constant battle for recognition and acceptance from the moment they come out into the open.

I once met two gays in a coffee shop and what started as a simple exchange of “hi’s” turned into more than an hour of lively discussion.

If you are not so squeamish about striking up a conversation with gays, you will find out that they are brutally honest and frank about their sexual preferences; They are very proud of what and who they are.

Even at an early age, when they start showing their uniqueness, discrimination already starts staring at them in the face – from family members.

For them, that’s the most difficult hurdle. Once they get through it, the rest is a breeze.  They will even thumb their noses at people treat them as weird.

But these expressions of bravado could never take away the stigma attached to their being gays.

They are discriminated at work and discriminated in senior centers where they could have established meaningful relationships with other seniors.

Even the staff in these centers often don’t to give them a fair shake.

Image: http://www.advocate.com/marriage-equality/2016/1/25/watch-sweethearts-candy-celebrates-same-sex-marriage

~oOo~