Sex Column: Pride Week

It’s pride week! A week to be proud of being lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or simply an ally.

I asked a few friends for ideas this week, and a recurring subject was friends’ responses to their coming out. Coming out is a pretty big f-ing deal (in the words of our nation’s vice president). Support should be given because we can’t read each others’ minds. This is an event that can be filled with anxiety and awkwardness, and it’s up to the recipient to make it not that way.

I find it interesting that for people who are gay, they have to have this moment to “come out.” I have never heard of someone coming out as straight. Maybe we should all come out to our loved ones whether we are gay, straight, bi, transsexual or robot. Then again, maybe it shouldn’t even matter in the first place.

When a loved one comes out to you, there are some things you really should never do. The first is to avoid thinking that this is merely a phase. Being gay isn’t a life choice, although some elected officials and religious leaders seem to think otherwise. Those people need a stern shaking.

A friend of mine tells me that his parents still think that his girl friends that he brings around are his girlfriends even though he’s been in a steady relationship for over a year. Being in denial isn’t going to change the situation. Buck up; they’re being honest with you. When the hell is honesty a bad thing?

A disclaimer needs to be put on coming out, so I’m saying it here. Just because a friend of the same sex comes out, it doesn’t mean that they are attracted to you! Get over yourself and think about the situation.

In the hetero world, although we are attracted to the opposite sex, it doesn’t mean that we boink everything with a pulse and the proper genitalia. The same applies for the LGBT community.

See? We aren’t so different after all!

Laura Elizabeth Donnelly is a senior writing arts major who is trying her best to not freak out over her upcoming graduation. She is the president of Lucy/Vox and a proud LGBT ally.