It's a Lonely Road Without Friends

For some reason today while I was in the Johnson Center eating, I started contemplating the diversity of the school. I know I have touched on this in previous postings, but I wandered off into deep thought. As mentioned, Mason is a school of all colors and creeds. That being said, there are some nationalities that hold prejudice beliefs. Perhaps a generalization, but Jamaicans, for example, do not view homosexuality in a positive light. However, they are here at campus. Diverse doesn't necessarily mean liberal. Diverse just means different, variety, an array of conglomerated experiences.
That being said, diversity is closely related to minority. The different groups that make up Mason are mostly minorities on the national scale. Gays are a minority--a suggested ten percent of the overall population. How then, are we supposed to secure our minority rights among the remaining ninety percent? I believe, and I am sure that many will agree, that coming out as gay is the road to take.
Just look around today. There are so many more people who are out compared to, say, ten years ago. It is wonderful for me to see. When gay men and women let the world know who they are, and get to know them better, it helps to break down prejudices. If more people knew a gay person, then they might change their opinion of homosexuals. They will realize that they are the same as they are. Of course, for all the gays reading this blog, what I am saying is old hat.
The gay population is small and we need allies to accomplish what we need to accomplish. 30 million people is far from the majority of the American population, and if we are to sway the majority of our legislatures, we must get the heterosexual population to better understand who we are. I know many gay folks, most of my friends included, who hang out with a predominantly gay group. Now, saving heterosexual women (who seem to be our greatest allies) we must befriend more of the straight male population. I must say, I love my girls, but when it comes down to being friends with a straight male, it can be quite rewarding.
I have two wonderful friends, Jason and Ben, who are both hetero. Jason and I were best friends throughout high school and we lived together for a while. I was terrified when I was 18 and decided to come out to him. I didn't wanna lose his friendship. Eventually the secret came out behind my back. I knew his was mad at me, but I didn't realize why. He was mad because I didn't tell him first. He couldn't have cared less that I liked guys. We are still close to this day (his younger brother and I dated for a while =)>. Ben is a little bit of a different story. We have only gotten closer since I came to Mason. He is a bit metrosexual himself. He is the closest thing to gay without actually liking guys. The point is, guys will accept gays if they actually know one. It is mainly those who have no gay friends that have negative things to say.
If you come out, though it seems like a daunting task, it will only make you feel better. Sometimes people fear what their friends and family think of them. There are plenty of people who would react badly at first, but it is assuredly better than having to live a lie. Coming out will also help breakdown the walls that exist among certain groups, such as the Jamaicans that I mentioned earlier. Instead of keeping the idea of homosexuals removed from daily life, being out and about will help make the issue real.
We cannot succeed without allies. The world heading toward acceptance, but we still have a long journey ahead. It would be nice if we can brings friends.