Cultural Immersion Blog 1: The Advocate

To properly reflect on an experience and exposure to a member of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning or intersex (LGBTQQI) community I would have to think about someone I consider a close friend of mine. Although I rarely see this individual now his story will remain as a teaching moment in my life forever. Due to privacy issues and conflict of interests I will refer individuals in this blog using fake names. That being said, Peter had a great impact on shaping my perception of the LGBTQQI community. I witnessed his transition from an introverted state of mental exhaustion to a proud and vivacious gay community member.

Peter was the fraternal twin of one of my best friends, John. The three of us played freshman year football together in high school and this is how we met. John was icon of masculinity overpowering most and making it obvious to all around that he was paving his own road in life. Peter was timid and obviously in an environment that kept his lips shut and eyes wondering away. Most people thought it was because we were all new to each other and Peter had a hard time opening up. The more time that I spent with John the more I realized that Peter was a distant fellow. Peter did not play football the next year and it seemed as if he drifted off to a world of seclusion accompanied by maybe two or three others.

Peter had extended his social circle far past the walls of our beloved high school by the end of his sophomore year. It was at this time John really needed a good friend. John called me on a Saturday afternoon overwhelmed with all sorts of emotions. John explained to me that Peter kissing another boy in the driveway just below John’s bedroom window. John further explained that Peter had come “out of the closet” to their parents a week before and it was all too much for the twin to handle. My personal thoughts were “that makes sense,” a very heterosexual with of responding to the news. I went over to John’s place and consoled the shaken young man, as well as, talk to Peter.

The details are really boring I know but a few months after Peter accepted himself as gay and came out his color change. I felt that he was really happy and the chip on his shoulder had fixed itself. Peter’s timid and ashamed behavior had stopped and I was so happy for him. Being closed to the rest of the world like Peter was a torcher I wish for no one to experience. Peter’s schools had been a vessel of social discrimination and forced him to hide what made him complete. From the ashes rose the phoenix and so Peter’s story ended with his happiness and acceptance with many people around him.

From this experience I have formulated a couple of assumptions I hold about LGBTQQI:

1. Members of the LGBTQQI community are no different in any respect from non-members except for sexual preference and/or pride in that sexual preference.

2. Homosexuality emerges from the heart just as heterosexuality.

Now let us transition to my most current experience with the Advocate bequeathed to me by my new and lovely class. I purchased the Advocate with no thinking what so ever. It was right after I purchased the magazine I felt a little funny. What i thought was that this magazine does not represent my sexual preference and I did not want those around me to stigmatize. I was not a feeling of disgust towards people of homosexuality but a feeling of false identification of those around me. It was an eye opening experience into a world of paranoia and I immediately rolled up the magazine, cover on the inside. Why did I do that or feel like that? Answer, it is what I have been taught my entire life, be ashamed is your outside of the majority’s beliefs. It is sad really and quite a formidable force.

The advertisements in the Advocate where all comparable to the ads in magazines that cater to heterosexuals. However, there was a theme of homosexuality in most of the ads, who would have thought. The ads catered to the same ideas of marketing except with a homosexual theme. Images of couple embracing each other were composed of two men instead of two heterosexuals. There where a considerable amount of DTC ads for HIV medication. It seemed as if the ads where focused at times on awareness of homosexuality rather than just plain advertising.

I read a considerable amount of about the need of individually tailored acceptance and the element of cohesion that exist among all members of the LGBTQQI. What I found very interesting was the fact that people of all races and education levels where represented equally throughout the magazine. The Advocate focused on successful individuals more than unsuccessful members of the LGBTQQI, which I could understand due to the heavy themes in equality promotion. People of all sorts of age, family status, religion, and career were represented. The point was not to discriminate it seems because that would create a hippo critical message. There is one privilege that reading through this magazine illustrated to me and it was my privilege of being a heterosexual and not having to think about it because heterosexuality dominates the majority.