Like the swallows to Capistrano, the teens have returned to the library. We don't see them during the summer months, but during the school year, parents will not allow their teens to be home alone in the afternoons. Can't see why, they are such angels. So, what do they do? Send them to the library where we can babysit.
But let's not go there. It's a rant for another day.
So, to do my best not to offend anyone for I'm the good guy here, you know how you sometimes know the second someone walks into a room that they are gay? It's just something about the way they walk and talk and so on. Well, there is this kid. I'd say he's about 14. Very effeminate. Always has designer jeans to die for. God, I sound very un-PC but the point is the young man is gay. We will call him boy 1.
This afternoon, I'm standing at the desk and I hear someone we will call boy 2 (not effeminate but stinky and ungroomed as young men often are) say to him "Hey, you talk like a gay guy." Boy 1, God bless him, looks up with such blank look. The look says he's battle-weary. He's heard this before. Boy 2 says "Hey, I just wanted to let you know what everyone was saying." Boy 1 gathers his things and walks away, head high. A victory in my eyes. Didn't give Boy 2 the satisfaction of a reaction.
Pollywog, on the other hand, had a reaction. Actually, I was very good. I went over and had a very stern conversation with Boy 2 involving the words policy and zero-tolerance for disrespectful conduct and consequences, blah, blah, blah. My inside voice was in the middle of some disrespectful conduct though, let me tell ya.
Point of story: I didn't know kids were anti-gay anymore. I really didn't. I thought we were over it.
Remember when tattoos and piercings and rainbow colored mohawks were frowned upon? Tell me, when will it finally be cool to not be exactly like everyone else? When?
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Way back when I had a diaryland account, some fellow ran banners that said, "Being gay isn't the only thing about me, but it is the most interesting thing." The person was a Frank Sinatra impersonator, which, Frankly, was a hell of a lot more interesting. I ran a banner around the same time, and chose to run one with "I'm heterosexual, but my journal isn't really about that." The only banner I ever ran that got more response was "Give War a Chance." The response was 99% positive, not because people thought I was gay bashing (which wasn't my intent), but they thought I was making a point that sexual orientation didn't really matter to the quality of a journal (which was my point).
I take that as good news. And even your entry, your perception that you thought we were past this ... that's good news, dear. That means that the intolerance is becoming more rare, that now it surprises us instead of seeming to be the norm.
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