{"tag":"same-sex marriage","articles":{"blog\/society\/i-have-gay-friends":{"key":"blog\/society\/i-have-gay-friends","type":"article","published":true,"meta":{"createdAt":"2018-03-21T14:26:48+01:00","publishedAt":"2018-03-21T14:26:00+01:00","group":"coming-out","category":"blog","subcategory":"society","slug":"i-have-gay-friends"},"content":{"en":{"slug":"i-have-gay-friends","title":"I have gay friends","intro":"\u003Cfigure\u003E\n                \u003Cnoscript\u003E\n                    \u003Cimg src=\u0022https:\/\/avris.it\/image\/i-have-gay-friends_small.jpg\u0022 alt=\u0022\u0022I have gay friends\u0022 - scumbag Christian meme\u0022 class=\u0022border-bottom\u0022 width=\u0022480\u0022 height=\u0022480\u0022\u003E                \n                \u003C\/noscript\u003E\n                \u003Cspan class=\u0022hide-noscript\u0022\u003E\u003Cimg src=\u0022data:image\/png;base64,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\u0022 data-src=\u0022https:\/\/avris.it\/image\/i-have-gay-friends_small.jpg\u0022 alt=\u0022\u0022I have gay friends\u0022 - scumbag Christian meme\u0022 class=\u0022border-bottom\u0022 width=\u0022480\u0022 height=\u0022480\u0022\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\n                \n            \u003C\/figure\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u2013 Morning! How was your weekend?\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u2013 Morning! Well, we went do Poland to visit my boyfriend\u2019s family and we...\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u2013 Oh, so you have a boyfriend? That\u2019s ok. You know, I have gay friends.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u2013 Erm... OK... So what? I have gay friends too. And straight friends... What\u2019s your point?\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Csvg xmlns=\u0022http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\u0022 style=\u0022display: none;\u0022\u003E\u003C\/svg\u003E","content":"\u003Cfigure\u003E\n                \u003Cnoscript\u003E\n                    \u003Cimg src=\u0022https:\/\/avris.it\/image\/i-have-gay-friends_big.jpg\u0022 alt=\u0022\u0022I have gay friends\u0022 - scumbag Christian meme\u0022 class=\u0022border\u0022 width=\u0022600\u0022 height=\u0022600\u0022\u003E                \n                \u003C\/noscript\u003E\n                \u003Cspan class=\u0022hide-noscript\u0022\u003E\u003Cimg src=\u0022data:image\/png;base64,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\u0022 data-src=\u0022https:\/\/avris.it\/image\/i-have-gay-friends_big.jpg\u0022 alt=\u0022\u0022I have gay friends\u0022 - scumbag Christian meme\u0022 class=\u0022border\u0022 width=\u0022600\u0022 height=\u0022600\u0022\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\n                \u003Cfigcaption\u003E\n                    \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.quickmeme.com\/meme\/3qbd0j\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener\u0022\u003E\n                        \u003Csvg class=\u0022icon\u0022\u003E\u003Cuse xlink:href=\u0022#light-link\u0022\u003E\u003C\/use\u003E\u003C\/svg\u003E\n                        quickmeme.com\/meme\/3qbd0j\n                    \u003C\/a\u003E\n                \u003C\/figcaption\u003E\n            \u003C\/figure\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u2013 Morning! How was your weekend?\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u2013 Morning! Well, we went do Poland to visit my boyfriend\u2019s family and we...\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u2013 Oh, so you have a boyfriend? That\u2019s ok. You know, I have gay friends.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u2013 Erm... OK... So what? I have gay friends too. And straight friends... What\u2019s your point?\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003ESaying \u201cI have gay friends\u201d might seem like a good way to show someone that you\u2019re okay with them being gay. In reality, it mostly just shows that you\u2019re desperately trying to \u003Cstrong\u003Eshow off your tolerance\u003C\/strong\u003E. It shows that you treat homosexuality as something \u003Cem\u003Estrange, but tolerable\u003C\/em\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EBut you know what kind of support do LGBTQ people \u003Cem\u003Ereally\u003C\/em\u003E need? We just want \u003Cstrong\u003Eto be treated like everyone else\u003C\/strong\u003E \u2013 that\u2019s it. Try replacing \u201cboyfriend\u201d with \u201cgirlfriend\u201d in the dialogue above. You might be surprised (\u201dOh, I thought you were single!\u201d), you might get interested in the other person\u2019s relationship (\u201dHow did you two meet?\u201d), you might just talk abobut the actual subject of the conversation (\u201dCool, did you have fun on your trip?\u201d) \u2013 but you wouldn\u2019t comment on the other person\u2019s heterosexuality, right?\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EIt\u2019s that simple \u2013 \u003Cstrong\u003Ewe\u2019re just people\u003C\/strong\u003E, with similar passions, similar problems, similar relationships and the same need for love.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cblockquote class=\u0022blockquote ml-4 pl-4 border-left\u0022\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EOne day we won\u2019t have to \u201ccome out of the closet\u201d. We\u2019ll just say we are in love and that will be all that matters \u2013 \u003Cem\u003EEllen Degeneres\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EAfter my wedding, I\u2019m proud to say, I realised I\u2019d finally reached the point where \u003Cstrong\u003Ecoming out is not an issue\u003C\/strong\u003E anymore. I won\u2019t ever come out again. Not that I ever did that movie-style \u201cI need to tell you something... [long pause] I\u2019m gay... [gasp]\u201d. As a matter of fact, in the last time I actually had simply talked about my boyfriend the way straight guys talk about their girlfriends \u2013 but it still felt like I\u2019m confessing some kind of a secret. Even after years of living outside of my homophobic homeland of Poland, the fear of being ridiculed, unaccepted, discriminated against or beaten up was still there.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EBut getting married was the final milestone on the way to leaving all of that behind. It made me feel that I actually do have \u003Cstrong\u003Eall the same rights\u003C\/strong\u003E and duties as any straight person does. It\u2019s not just \u201cok\u201d to be gay \u2013 it\u2019s perfectly normal. Even the registrar was openly mocking Poland\u2019s backwardness.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EI didn\u2019t hesitate for a second to share the good news with anyone. My husband is so wonderful, our love so beautiful, our relationship so strong. I\u2019m proud of him and I\u2019m proud of us.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EAnd all we got was a positive, loving, touching response. Not a single person reacted differently than they would react to any other wedding \u2013 not even call it a \u201cgay marriage\u201d or anything. We didn\u2019t get \u201cgay married\u201d, we just got married.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EAnd that\u2019s the kind of society I want to live in. \ud83d\ude0c\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Csvg xmlns=\u0022http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\u0022 style=\u0022display: none;\u0022\u003E\u003C\/svg\u003E","tags":["acceptance","coming out","discrimination","gay","homosexuality","human rights","lgbtq","marriage","marriage equality","same-sex marriage","tolerance"],"hasMore":true,"image":"https:\/\/avris.it\/image\/i-have-gay-friends_small.jpg","introLite":"\u003Cfigure\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/avris.it\/image\/i-have-gay-friends_big.jpg\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener\u0022\u003E\u003Cimg src=\u0022https:\/\/avris.it\/image\/i-have-gay-friends_mini.jpg\u0022 alt=\u0022\u0022I have gay friends\u0022 - scumbag Christian meme\u0022 width=\u0022240\u0022 height=\u0022240\u0022 loading=\u0022lazy\u0022\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/figure\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u2013 Morning! How was your weekend?\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u2013 Morning! Well, we went do Poland to visit my boyfriend\u2019s family and we...\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u2013 Oh, so you have a boyfriend? That\u2019s ok. You know, I have gay friends.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u2013 Erm... OK... So what? I have gay friends too. And straight friends... What\u2019s your point?\u003C\/p\u003E","contentLite":"\u003Cfigure\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/avris.it\/image\/i-have-gay-friends_big.jpg\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener\u0022\u003E\u003Cimg src=\u0022https:\/\/avris.it\/image\/i-have-gay-friends_mini.jpg\u0022 alt=\u0022\u0022I have gay friends\u0022 - scumbag Christian meme\u0022 width=\u0022240\u0022 height=\u0022240\u0022 loading=\u0022lazy\u0022\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cfigcaption\u003E\n                    \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.quickmeme.com\/meme\/3qbd0j\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener\u0022\u003E\u003Csmall\u003Equickmeme.com\/meme\/3qbd0j\u003C\/small\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\n                \u003C\/figcaption\u003E\u003C\/figure\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u2013 Morning! How was your weekend?\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u2013 Morning! Well, we went do Poland to visit my boyfriend\u2019s family and we...\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u2013 Oh, so you have a boyfriend? That\u2019s ok. You know, I have gay friends.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u2013 Erm... OK... So what? I have gay friends too. And straight friends... What\u2019s your point?\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003ESaying \u201cI have gay friends\u201d might seem like a good way to show someone that you\u2019re okay with them being gay. In reality, it mostly just shows that you\u2019re desperately trying to \u003Cstrong\u003Eshow off your tolerance\u003C\/strong\u003E. It shows that you treat homosexuality as something \u003Cem\u003Estrange, but tolerable\u003C\/em\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EBut you know what kind of support do LGBTQ people \u003Cem\u003Ereally\u003C\/em\u003E need? We just want \u003Cstrong\u003Eto be treated like everyone else\u003C\/strong\u003E \u2013 that\u2019s it. Try replacing \u201cboyfriend\u201d with \u201cgirlfriend\u201d in the dialogue above. You might be surprised (\u201dOh, I thought you were single!\u201d), you might get interested in the other person\u2019s relationship (\u201dHow did you two meet?\u201d), you might just talk abobut the actual subject of the conversation (\u201dCool, did you have fun on your trip?\u201d) \u2013 but you wouldn\u2019t comment on the other person\u2019s heterosexuality, right?\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EIt\u2019s that simple \u2013 \u003Cstrong\u003Ewe\u2019re just people\u003C\/strong\u003E, with similar passions, similar problems, similar relationships and the same need for love.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cblockquote\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EOne day we won\u2019t have to \u201ccome out of the closet\u201d. We\u2019ll just say we are in love and that will be all that matters \u2013 \u003Cem\u003EEllen Degeneres\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EAfter my wedding, I\u2019m proud to say, I realised I\u2019d finally reached the point where \u003Cstrong\u003Ecoming out is not an issue\u003C\/strong\u003E anymore. I won\u2019t ever come out again. Not that I ever did that movie-style \u201cI need to tell you something... [long pause] I\u2019m gay... [gasp]\u201d. As a matter of fact, in the last time I actually had simply talked about my boyfriend the way straight guys talk about their girlfriends \u2013 but it still felt like I\u2019m confessing some kind of a secret. Even after years of living outside of my homophobic homeland of Poland, the fear of being ridiculed, unaccepted, discriminated against or beaten up was still there.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EBut getting married was the final milestone on the way to leaving all of that behind. It made me feel that I actually do have \u003Cstrong\u003Eall the same rights\u003C\/strong\u003E and duties as any straight person does. It\u2019s not just \u201cok\u201d to be gay \u2013 it\u2019s perfectly normal. Even the registrar was openly mocking Poland\u2019s backwardness.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EI didn\u2019t hesitate for a second to share the good news with anyone. My husband is so wonderful, our love so beautiful, our relationship so strong. I\u2019m proud of him and I\u2019m proud of us.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EAnd all we got was a positive, loving, touching response. Not a single person reacted differently than they would react to any other wedding \u2013 not even call it a \u201cgay marriage\u201d or anything. We didn\u2019t get \u201cgay married\u201d, we just got married.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EAnd that\u2019s the kind of society I want to live in. \ud83d\ude0c\u003C\/p\u003E","words":507,"readTime":3,"lang":"en"}}}}}