It is not surprising that homosexuals love politicians who sing their causes. They help these politicians get elected and re-elected, invite them to Pride parades and believe without these politicians, they would be still in the closet.
This is unfortunately far from the truth.
One of the worst proponents of gays and lesbians, believe it or not, are politicians. To them, everything or almost everything is about votes. So if you are waiting for politicians to help you get acceptance, forget it. They are scheming and your interests to them are merely tools for their own benefit. Very often politicians will legislate for short term, to gain instant traction with the voters. Remember our President who is against gay marriage but waffles on civil unions? He is a typical self-interested politician. Very often their solutions are "in your face" for heterosexuals. This is a great turnoff and sets you back relative to acceptance and cognizance in the society, most of which is heterosexual.
Politicians can give you legitimacy. If that is all you want, great. But if you really want to become mainstream, you have to be patient, subtle--and a bit scheming. Here are a few tips on how to act and think in terms of advancing your sexuality within the society.
1. Do not act the stereotype. If you are labeled a female-male or a male-female, you will not be taken seriously, Act natural. If need be, suppress your alternate feelings. That is not to say that you cannot be assertive. But if you are a female, specially among your business and social peers, act female. Very often female-males (colloquially called dykes) give off an aura of male dominance. This is not accepted norm and will act as a negative current. A simple thing like a crushing handshake from a lesbian woman, or a wimpy one from a gay man sets off alams in the minds of the other person.
2. Stick to mainstream subjects, but subtly introduce sexuality only when appropriate. I can understand you feel passionately about your sexuality, but the world may not be ready for an overt announcement of your sexual orientation. It is often appropriate to introduce sexuality in terms of discrimination, lifestyle, benefits and marriage, but it should be couched in rationale and addressed factually, not draped in loud, confrontational agenda-type phrases.
3. Find mentors and advocates who are heterosexual. Tooting your own horn, specially on a touchy subject like homosexuality often leads to mixed results. It is much better to have someone else who is "mainstream" promote your place in society through words and action.
4. Respect marriage and heterosexuality. I have seen and heard politicians egg on homosexuals by daring them to question why marriage should be between a man and a woman. While the world is severely divided on the concept, and it may get that politician elected, challenging marriage in open society has so far not endeared homosexuals to their counterparts. Very often, gays and lesbians come off as strident, adversarial and disrespectful towards customary societal arrangement such as two-parent households, marriage and heterosexual lifestyles. You will never be accepted as a mainstream homosexual individual unless you embrace the fact that a vast majority of the society is and has been heterosexual and you and your partners may be a unique, minority sub-set of that society. So prioritize your needs---eliminating discrimination, casual acceptance and then maybe other expectations from the society.
Good luck.
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