Gays and lesbians are not so different

As the school year comes to an end, a night of music and dancing to ease stress-filled minds was exactly what the students needed.

The Big Gay Prom, undeniably one of the biggest events on campus put together this year by PCC students, was not just a kickback event, however. It demonstrated a lesson in life that much of the world has trouble grasping: unity and acceptance.

The world forgets that homosexuals are humans. Thankfully, there has been progress towards equality, but in some states, members of the LGBT community are treated as second-class citizens. Unfortunately in other countries, they are criminals, sometimes even punished by death.

Gays and lesbians have garnered all types of attention. Some view homosexuality as an abnormality, calling for scientific and psychological research. Others deem it an alternative lifestyle – a sinner’s decision, as religious fanatics would like to call it.

Because of this, homosexuality has always had a negative reputation and their treatment is even more tragic.

The murder of Matthew Shepard on October 1998 made headlines, prompting the Wyoming legislative branch to move forward with an anti-discriminatory law in his name. The more cent suicide of Rutgers University student Tyler Clementi also shone a light on intolerance issues when a video of him and a male partner surfaced online.

Remember the video of a transgender woman being beaten to the point of a seizure at a McDonalds in Baltimore, Maryland where even the person holding the camera egged the assaulters on? Hate crimes and suicide rates are evidence that the LGBT community is no stranger to prejudice.

Even when they aren’t physically harmed, there are efforts being made to make sure homosexuals aren’t treated as ordinary citizens.

The Defense of Marriage Act, for example, allows states to recognize only unions between men and women as legitimate marriages.

Some states already recognize same-sex marriage, but opponents of it argue that enabling same-sex marriages will lessen the value of their marriage.

Though allowing same-sex marriage is definitely a step towards equality, states like New York are advocating same-same marriage on the grounds of monetary gain – meaning, the state is merely trying to lure same-sex couples in order to generate revenue.

Also, the military’s ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ policy is in pending repeal, but there are still doubts that openly gay servicemen will not distract or affect the morale of other servicemen.

If there’s something the world needs to learn, it is tolerance.

Those who vehemently stand against homosexuality do so ignorantly. Granted, some stereotypes do exist, but that’s not to say that most homosexuals don’t live normal lives.

If those opposed to homosexuality took the time to learn more about the LGBT community, they would find that gays and lesbians are not so different.