Another gay thing...

I just turned on the LOGO channel, and am following the discussions about gay marriage in amazement. WOW.
How many people out there call themselves educated, freedom loving, fair, open minded, believers in people's rights?
I like to find simple solutions to simple problems, and my solution to this issue is a simple one: If you don't like what you see, don't look!
Do people seriously think that the number of homosexuals increases or decreases according to the legal status or the overall acceptance? If that were the case, my fellow Germans during WW2 would have put a definite end to us, which they clearly have not. Never was being gay less accepted than during that time, and yet - we never stopped being gay. Looking at the other side of it, legalizing gay marriage would certainly not encourage Silvester Stallone to turn into Ru Paul! What are people thinking? If a teenage boy wants to explore different kinds of sexuality, the taboo of being gay will certainly not discourage him from doing so. And a die- hard straight bully will most definitely not try to "go the other way" just because it became socially acceptable.
The truth is that we will not go anywhere! Like it or not, we are here... planning your weddings, designing your clothes and houses, doing your hair, selling you furniture, grooming your dogs; and to step away from stereo types, we might even read your gas meters, do construction on your homes, fix your cars, act in your favorite movies, or be your married next door neighbor. You might never know it, and you should really not give a damn!
And please... keep the Bible out of it! I think the Bible would jump out of some people's hands if it knew how ignorant, vicious, nasty, negative, intolerant and stupid the creatures holding it, praying by it, and hiding behind it are! None of this could possibly be "God's will"! Who the hell knows about God's will anyway!? Who did He say to: This is wrong!? And how could the "All Mighty" have made the fatal "mistake" of creating gays and lesbians? Is it not a sin to imply that God made a mistake, or do people still think it's our life style choice, rather than something we are born with?
Let me quote Marlene Dietrich, who was heard saying: "The only human flaw I cannot excuse is stupidity." How right she was! The other bad flaw is ignorance - and the combination of both is downright dangerous. Unfortunately, this is exactly what we as gay men and lesbian women are facing when confronted with hatred and discrimination - just like every minority group throughout history.
Few things really upset me. I am a very calm person, who doesn't sweat the small stuff. But listening to people's outrageous opinions and views on a topic that actually involves me and "my people" gets my heart rate going. At least lately.
"People have no idea about the consequences of opening Pandora's Box" - is what one woman just said on TV, defending the sanctity of marriage. And this is when I have to switch the channel, before throwing something at the screen.
When I came out to my mother many years ago, I had a pretty good idea that it was not going to be a big issue. I have said this before - but I don't mind repeating it: I was pretty damn lucky with my family. But prior to my coming out, I still went through years of being nervous about it, wondering how they would take it, what it would do to our relationship and to my parents' feelings towards me. It was a weight on my shoulders that I carried around for a long time, draining and exhausting me. There is nothing worse than spending a life behind walls, hiding your beliefs and denying who you are. The night I had "the talk" with my mom, ... yes... there were tears and questions and initial drama. But funny enough: Around the same time I started smoking, and left my secret cigarette butts on the stairs behind my family's house. After she left my room that night with the truth about my sexuality, she knocked on my door about 20 seconds later, saying: "I forgot to tell you; if you really think you need to smoke, at least throw your cigarettes somewhere else. Your grandparents don't need to find them!" At first I thought how strange it was for her to bring up my smoking at a time like this, but then I realized that it was her way of saying: "It's all good... there are worse things than being gay... I love you... let's focus on the things that matter - like your lungs." And that was the end of it. My mom told me later that she talked to my grandparents about me being gay while my grandma was baking Christmas cookies she was planning to send to me. After my mom broke the news to her, she looked up and said: "I'll still send him his cookies!!!". I love my family! No talking around the bush, no long discussions. Just straight to the point, and moving on. So - when I hear stories about people whose struggle doesn't end, it breaks my heart. And when I hear about people who make their kid's lives hell, and who stick their noses in business that is none of theirs, and when people spread aggression and hatred and negativity against a group of people that does nothing but make the world a better dressed one, I just get mad. I know how much it meant to me to have an "army" of people backing me up, being there for me and standing by my side. Without them, my life would not be the same. And back to the question of acceptance opening Pandora's Box: I doubt that my family encouraged other people to jump on the "gay waggon" by accepting my life the way it happens to be. But it sure is great to know that if another gay one would show up in our home, they would simply keep baking cookies!