It concerns me that us as a gay community are way too shy to be ourselves in public. Far too many of us will avoid showing affection in public because we are afraid of what other people will think of us. Will they judge me? Will they feel disgusted? Will they stare? Will they come over and assault me? These fears are real, and they come about because of the many years of homophobia that gay people have faced. But I think these fears are holding the gay community back, and are preventing us from being fully accepted by the public.
People will naturally fear or dislike things that are strange to them. Two guys walking down the street, holding hands (the one perhaps giving the other a peck on the cheek), is very strange to many people. They do not see it often, and therefore this hatred (ignorance) builds up.But what if these same people saw two guys holding hands every day of their life? Would they still find it unusual after a few months? I think not. Eventually, they will get used to the fact that it is normal for gay people to show affection to each other, and eventually, they will realise that it is normal to be gay.
I strongly believe that the more visible we are as a gay community, the more we will be accepted. After the recent Supreme Court of the United States ruling in favour of gay marriage across all 50 states of America, I noticed many of my friends on Facebook had changed their profile picture to show the gay flag. This included my straight friends. Throughout the day, the number of gay flag profile pictured kept increasing. The idea caught on – people felt the need to support their gay friends.
I think that a simple act of holding hands in public might also catch on to raise awareness. Whether you are gay or straight, start holding hands with people of the same sex. I know it might be hard for some people to do, so here are some tips:
Start small
At first, hold hands in public places, but where people are unlikely to see. The movies, on a quiet street, on the train. This will get you used to the idea of being affectionate in a public space.
Become more public
Now start showing affection and holding hands where a few people might see, but are unlikely to make a fuss. Walking out of the movie theatre, on a slightly more busy street, in a coffee shop.
Be yourself fully
Finally, once you are completely used to being affectionate in public, you should be able to hold hands as you wish, wherever you feel like it, without worrying whether someone is watching or not.
Why don’t you leave your thought in the comment box below. Is this something that could work? #HoldingHandsForEquality
This article is really amazing. I also believe that, if people saw more people of the same sex holding hands or being affectionate in public, the more used to the idea they would get. The person who wrote this is amazing ^_^