Quote from: Slytherin17 on October 29, 2011, 01:20:54 AMI don't have an intense hatred for gay people but I have some weird dislike feeling about them. I think it's because I haven't started T and I don't want to bee seen as a lesbian or something. Idk what's wrong with me. Can someone tell me why I might feel this way? I like to try to keep and open mind but when I open my mind to one thing something random will come up and I have to try to open my mind to that.
I don't want to pretend I know your life. but maybe you just need to be exposed to more things in life.
I'll tell you about me, since I can only speak for myself, and then you can do with this as you will.
I come from a middle-class family that's all white, religious, conservative, homophobic, transphobic, etc. anything that's against the "bible", abortions, premarital sex, etc. Basically, I grew up with this mindset that somehow
I[/i] get to decide what is "right" and what is "wrong." and
I[/i] have it all figured out and everyone just needs to listen to me. And if the world would just submit to my beliefs, it would be a better place.
And then I came out to myself as trans.
And suddenly, I don't know anything anymore. Suddenly, I can understand really what it means to be different. and I was different. My family had already decided that being gay or being trans was against the bible and was "wrong." but here I am, experiencing this and I know that it's not wrong. But it took me experiencing it to know that it is not wrong. otherwise I would have been just like them.
And so from that, I've realized that I can't pretend to know what someone else is going through. I can't claim to have it all figured out. I learned that I don't know anything. And I shouldn't pretend to. I should just live and let live.
I realized part of the reason that my family (and I) could think so ignorantly was our lack of exposure to things. My family doesn't know a single gay person, or a single trans person, or a single Mexican. So I'm trying to get out and expose myself to the world more and more. And I even just realized something last night... one of my friends is Mexican, and he pointed out to me how I'm a little racist. It surprised. he was right. but I didn't even know it.
I thought I was very open minded, and then just last night, I was shown otherwise. It's interesting how we think we know something, but someone else sees it differently. And that's what the world is made up of, people who all see it differently. and we can't say that our view is right.
And the more I expose myself to other views, I think is the more I learn that.
My family will never learn that because they don't want to expose themselves to disgusting gay people, or dirty Mexicans.