I used to be really homophobic. But
it didn’t last long. When I was a teenager a gay peer schooled me one day, and
her words impacted my once, very rigid and sheltered approach as a Christian.
When I learned she had a girlfriend, I didn’t want to be near her or sit next
to her. And I let her know it. She smiled and said, Just because I’m gay, doesn’t mean I’m interested in you. Not all gay
girls look at straight girls and want to get with them, especially if we know
you’re straight. She didn’t seem
offended. In fact, she was nice, and I
felt like a huge jerk. When I was growing up, homosexuality wasn’t something
that was as open as it is now. And while I knew guys that were gay, I’d never
met a young woman that was. I learned that while some of us have different
beliefs, we can still agree to disagree, walk in love and respect one another.
Lately, I’ve had some family, friends,
colleagues, and even myself, wrestle with a somewhat tricky question:
Is
the person you’re interested in, seriously involved with, or married to, gay,
straight, or on the down low?
If you have to ask the question,
perhaps you have your answer. Myself, and others have been in situations where
the question came to mind, and led to some shocking and even disappointing
discoveries…
I’ve had some friends and family
get with someone they suspected was gay and proceed to have a relationship with
the person, thinking they could change them,
only for the person they were seeing, to ultimately severe the relationship by
getting involved with someone of the same sex, anyway. You should never get
with someone with the idea that you can change them. You can’t.
I’ve also had other friends,
family, and myself, overlook obvious signs that someone was gay and think that
little things we saw early on, weren’t that big a deal, only for those little
things to turn into big things in which, during our individual experiences, each
of our suspicions were confirmed, with some discernment and confirmation from others.
Some people may think, maybe that guy is
just soft or metrosexual or maybe that woman is just a bit rough or
a tomboy but if you go with your gut
instinct, you’ll always know.
Then there are those on the down
low. The scary thing with this is, not knowing. I’ve had girlfriends fall for a
guy with the impression he was straight (when he wasn’t) only to be disappointed,
hurt, and in some cases, supportive, when they found out the guy was gay. Some
gay guys carry themselves like heterosexuals males, while leading closeted
lifestyles. It happens. I’ve also had guy friends pursue women they thought
were straight, only to find out no matter how heterosexual she seemed on the surface,
she was gay.
I’ve seen closeted men who marry
women, have children with them, and struggle with guilt, pain, and judgment for
living a double life. I’ve seen this even more in Christian environments. The results
of the deceit has caused lots of pain. Some men hide their alternative
lifestyle behind the masks of religion, pretty girlfriends, going through a
bunch of women, and hookups. And the young women on the other end of these
situations may struggle with insecurities that they are to blame. It’s wild.
People get comfortable pretending not to notice, only later for things to blow
up once someone’s heart gets involved, or children come into the picture, or a
separation takes place, or when a breakup and/or divorce is final.
Truthfully, a lot of people may
struggle with their sexuality and that’s nothing to be ashamed of. I know in
the Christian world it’s something that’s frowned upon, but, talking with
someone can help. There are people who struggle with their sexuality because
they’ve been sexually abused, confused, and want to be straight. Others are gay
and ashamed and try to hide it, and some feel no shame and are open and out
with their lifestyle. What you shouldn’t do though, is be deceitful about who
you are. If you’re not sure, don’t get involved with someone who’s straight and
get their heart involved and break it, because you’re working through your own
thing. Same goes for anyone who’s straight. Don’t think you can change someone.
You can still love, care, be supportive and keep a safe boundary, so no one gets
hurt.
How can one tell if someone’s
gay, straight, or on the down low? Again, perhaps the answer is in the
question.