One of the things
about growing up in India is that many of the kids from my generation were
quite sheltered. We were taught that a family consisted of a mother
and a father, boys like girls and no one really talked about anything
different. So I had quite a cultural shock when I arrived in the U.K. and
learnt about people who fancied others of the same gender. However, I was even
more intrigued when I began to learn more about the world and saw the heated
debates that went on about the gay community and gay rights here in the U.S.
My family members
are quite neutral about the gay population in general, and all that I’ve learnt
about the issues surrounding the LGBT community here in the States has been
through second hand sources. It’s important to mention that I’ve never really
gone out of my way to learn about their culture and I’ve really always been
confused as to why there are such heated debates about gay people and marriage
in general. So I believe this puts me in a relatively neutral position to learn
about people who are gay and the struggles they have faced/ are facing.
One of my friends
has come out from the metaphorical closet and I plan on talking to him and
others who are a part of the LGBT community here on campus about their experiences
in coming out and what they’ve faced since. I also hope to interview some
people on the other side of the fence and asking them why they are so
stringently against gay marriage and gay people in general. This is a very
controversial subject of course and I certainly don’t plan on it being easy.
But I hope that meeting these people will help me understand more about this
culture, the issues surrounding it and let me know my friend better!
No comments:
Post a Comment