Volume 2, May 2004
My mind began to wander as a thousand thoughts flowed in. I remembered times when I was uncomfortable with straights in the bar. I'm not totally out, so when a coworker came in, I panicked! I began looking for exits. There have also been times when I felt like we (by "we", I mean us gays) were on display for the amusement of straight people. They watched everyone, as if we were the monkey exhibit at the Houston zoo. They were studying our mating habits and I swear I saw one taking notes! My all time favorite is the straight guy who thinks if he is charming enough, the lesbians will let him watch. I wondered if maybe it wasn't such a bad idea to keep the straights out. I pictured a sign on the front door that said "Fags Only!" or "No Breeders Allowed!". I realized that a test would have to be administered in order to gain entry. A kiss, yes that's it...a same sex kiss would have to be performed. Entry would only be allowed if the kiss test was passed. One of the bartenders could test the men and I could volunteer to test the women.
A sudden roar of laughter brought me back to my drinking partners. It also brought me back to reality. As I see it, the reality is that we NEED straight people in our bars. We need them to witness our way of life. We need them to witness that we are not as different from them as they think. We need them to spread the word that we love like they love and we hurt the way they hurt. If we want tolerance, shouldn't we demonstrate it? If we want the same privileges as straights, how can WE practice segregation? Yeah, we need straight people in our bars and they need gays in theirs. With our taste in music and guys like "Bob", maybe we can convert a few while we're at it. Current "As I See It" Editorial
Straights on Gays
I was in my favorite watering hole the other day having a happy hour cocktail. It was one of those days that was too nice to be in a bar, but...a drink really sounded good. There were only a few people in there, so all the conversations were public. We began to talk about a guy (lets call him Bob) who was offended that straight people were allowed in this gay bar. The consensus was that "Bob" had probably made an unwanted pass and was told off. I had seen it happen again and again, so it was the most logical explanation for "Bobs'" extreme disdain.
My mind began to wander as a thousand thoughts flowed in. I remembered times when I was uncomfortable with straights in the bar. I'm not totally out, so when a coworker came in, I panicked! I began looking for exits. There have also been times when I felt like we (by "we", I mean us gays) were on display for the amusement of straight people. They watched everyone, as if we were the monkey exhibit at the Houston zoo. They were studying our mating habits and I swear I saw one taking notes! My all time favorite is the straight guy who thinks if he is charming enough, the lesbians will let him watch. I wondered if maybe it wasn't such a bad idea to keep the straights out. I pictured a sign on the front door that said "Fags Only!" or "No Breeders Allowed!". I realized that a test would have to be administered in order to gain entry. A kiss, yes that's it...a same sex kiss would have to be performed. Entry would only be allowed if the kiss test was passed. One of the bartenders could test the men and I could volunteer to test the women.
A sudden roar of laughter brought me back to my drinking partners. It also brought me back to reality. As I see it, the reality is that we NEED straight people in our bars. We need them to witness our way of life. We need them to witness that we are not as different from them as they think. We need them to spread the word that we love like they love and we hurt the way they hurt. If we want tolerance, shouldn't we demonstrate it? If we want the same privileges as straights, how can WE practice segregation? Yeah, we need straight people in our bars and they need gays in theirs. With our taste in music and guys like "Bob", maybe we can convert a few while we're at it. Current "As I See It" Editorial
