We are only a couple of months away from the pride parade and celebrations of June that not only take place in various cities of the U.S. but in other parts of the world, including Mexico. I don’t think I’m the only one who in recent years has learned more about the diversity that exists within the LGBT community. This last year in particular, and thanks to the many conversations that I have had in my podcast “De Pueblo, Católico y Gay,” (From a small town, Catholic and gay) I have learned more about what gender non-binary means, I have learned more about the transgender, bisexual and the queer experience and identity. Yet, I still have a lot more to learn.
The most important thing I have learned, however, is that being part of the community does not exclude us from being homophobic, biphobic, transphobic or from having any other form of aggression – that many times we only attribute to the heterosexual community. We also have to honestly speak about the misogyny and racism that exists within our community. I don’t exclude myself from past ignorant comments or actions against my own community. It’s important for us to acknowledge that in our own life experiences we have internalized many discriminating viewpoints and attitudes from our environments. It is also important for us to realize that we have absorbed hurtful stereotypes about the various sexual identities within the LGBT community. The same stereotypes that have been used against us, we use against those sexual identities that we don’t identify with and that many times we know very little about.
What do I mean? I’m talking about comments like “Why do we have to complicate things with pronouns?” or “if he says he’s bisexual its only because he hasn’t fully accepted that he’s gay,” and one of the most famous ones, “I only like masculine men.” Recently a friend of mine who identifies as gay said this to me while referring to a gender non-conforming person “it has taken us so long to be somewhat accepted and now they want to come out with this.” I apologize if anyone is hurt by the reference to these expressions, but I feel that it is important that as a community we hold each other accountable. I feel that we have to be honest to each other and talk ourselves through what can be uncomfortable, especially when someone feels that because they are part of the community that they get a free pass with intolerance and ignorance.
We all have the right to be happy, and to express and identify ourselves in a way that makes us feel comfortable in our own skin. We all have an obligation to educate ourselves and to show each other respect. We cannot allow ourselves to become a polarized community. We should embrace each other, love each other and help each other get to the place where we all want to ultimately arrive, happiness.
Crédito:
Eder Díaz Santillán “Gorritas”
Instagram.com/YoSoyGorritas
Creador del podcast “De Pueblo, Católico y Gay”