Normalizing Homosexuality

Our discussion today got me thinking. Mainly about when I was a young closeted teenager seeking advice for my future. I found a sense of community on YouTube from coming out videos and gay men and women who express their struggles online. It never occurred to me that my friends and family were going to accept me for being gay and I created a strong sense of hate that may come from it. Finding support online gave me strength within a crowned world of homophobes. It gave me strength to come out to my family two years ago. Today, they still hug me, love me, and most importantly, support me. Bringing my boyfriend to family gatherings still scares me a bit but hiding is not an option. Like Ellen expressed in her thesis, it’s a liberating experience that yearns for true identity and self-worth beyond measure. This is why I created my own channel, to give back to so many that helped me. The community is real. The exclusion felt when you’re not invited to a slumber party or lunch table in the cafeteria is felt by many gay man and women. Ellen did not solve the “coming out” confession although she pointed it in the right direction. The joke is that straight people don’t have to come out, so why should gay people, which tugs at the idea of heternormativity- which in my opinion is everyone. Today, it would still be weird to ask your friend Matt if he has a girlfriend or boyfriend. Naturally, you are going to assume he is straight unless he states otherwise. Either way, normalizing homosexuality has made a large leap in 20 years ago. Cheers Ellen.