J.
Neil C. Garcia’s The Conversion
speaks so much about the harsh reality that gay men and women live today. It
has been drummed into me my whole life that men only love women and vice versa;
that men who love men are dangerous and in need of God’s assistance. My
reaction then would be, “Yes. Men who love men need our prayers.” Now, I say,
“There is nothing wrong with a man loving a man or a woman, a woman.” I
realized how much society and religion have twisted the minds of the people to
the point that love and marriage was considered a gift only to the right couple and gender was the
indicator of a person’s status. As human beings, capable of thinking, we should
accept the changes that come to some people. These changes are not always good,
but the bad ones tend to put the good ones into place.
A person’s gender is just his sexual
orientation coming to being. It does not change his sex. However, I look beyond
a person’s gender, regardless of that person’s attitude. That’s what people
should be taught nowadays, in my opinion; that being a homosexual or a
heterosexual does not really define a person. There are a lot of successful men
and women today who do not hide behind masks. Domenico Dolce and Stefano
Gabbana, the design duo behind D&G, were romantic partners from their first
women’s wear collection. Though they ended their romantic relationship in 2005,
they continued their business relationship, nonetheless. Another influential
person is Ricky Martin, who has twin boys. When he came out in March 2010, the
world didn’t literally stone him. Martin said, “These years in silence and
reflection made me stronger and reminded me that acceptance has to come from
within and that this kind of truth gives me the power to conquer emotions I
didn't even know existed. I am proud to say that I am a fortunate homosexual
man."
I admire those homosexuals who do
not hinder themselves from society’s label of them. What about the ones who do
hinder themselves? Who hide behind the masks not just to protect themselves but
their families, as well? These souls are to be admired, too. The last line of
the piece, We die to rise to a better
life, means more than it actually means. I understand it now. Some people
sacrifice for the betterment of everything. Even if it means that their true
selves will get sacrificed. We die to
rise to a better life. Yet, what is a better life? How can one live life if
one is hiding from it? I am not gay or, at least, I haven’t crossed that bridge
yet. But I do know that there is nothing wrong with being gay.
