Sunday, September 27, 2009

A Beautiful Stand We Made!






so this was an exiting week for me!

as i told you all in my previous post, i attended an Anti-homophobic rally this week at Beaulah Bar where i was interviewed on radio and asked a very interesting question.....

WHY DO YOU THINK SOME PEOPLE ARE HOMOPHOBIC?

it got me thinking about where we are as a nation with regards to this topic. i read an article in the Mail and Guardian about Pastor Ray McCauley and his involvement with Pres. Zuma in trying to change legislation concerning abortion and same sex marriages. i became rather concerned, as I'm sure most of you did, as the very laws that served to protect us as a people were threatened by the very people whom we put our trust in to rule our country. i also read in The Heat Magazine (not that i read Heat that often...kinda just browse through.....and not that there is anything wrong with Heat...we all like a bit of 'skinner' news from time to time...lol) how 18000 people joined a group on facebook in protest to a kiss which happened on one of our day- time soaps between two men...Are people still sooo intolerant to those different from them? is there still a serious threat to our constitution by people who serve only their own interests?
is Homophobia STILL so rife in a country that boasts to have THE most liberal constitution in the world?

so why are some people out there still HOMOPHOBIC?

well, i had about a minute to think about this one....literally, and my answer?
Phobia, is a FEAR, and people Fear what they don't KNOW. it is sad that people only see a small part of what BEING GAY is all about, and sometimes what they see is clouded by a stereotype. its is only through education, and awareness that people come to know and understand. if you know better, then you do better, right? and who are the educators? i dare to say....WE ARE. it is up to every single Gay man and woman to show 'homophobic' people out there that we are NO different than anybody else. that, just because we prefer partners of the same sex, doesn't make us any different to them. just BE WHO YOU ARE and show them that there is more to you than your sexual preference. we are all made of the same 'dust' and we will all return to that very same 'dust' one day!
as the 'good book' says...do unto others as you would have done unto you!

ciao
C

5 comments:

Sabrina said...

Waw Charl ! I completely agree with everything you said! I don't know your competitors but to me you have to win the final! You wonder forbids gay rights and I think just like you, that homophobics people are confined to mind and should just a little more open-minded to see the kindness and the "normality" of gays. I love you, and especially you Charl hehe! Take care of yourself! Mouaaaah! <3

Charl-Van-Den-Berg said...

hey there Sabrina!!!
as always you are such a great inspiration...makes me feel like im doing sometthing right..and that im not going mad for thinking what im thinking...lol!!!
love ya too girl!!!! and chat soon!

Anonymous said...

Well, u'r totally right, dude! I must say that situation in Brazil is so much more complicated. Being gay is something unacceptable (at least, people usually look at u in a "different" way - That's why I'm still in the closet.. lol), which make me believe that we live in unfair world. I know that we have to show them that we're "normal" and, just because we're gay, doesn't mean that we're dirty, or anything but human beings. Perhaps, one day things get better.. I'll pray 4 this...
Take care,

Philipe (your brazilian friend).

Anonymous said...

Hi Charl,
To understand homophobia you need to define it;

There are four basic levels of Homophobia:

1. The fear and hatred of gays and lesbians. Gay and lesbian people live in constant fear of assault and harassment. They are regularly attacked for no other reason than their assailants' homophobia. (96% of gay men have experienced verbal abuse because of their sexual preference, over 40% have experienced physical violence.)

2. The fear of being perceived as gay or lesbian. Gay people are forced to stay in the closet for fear of suffering the prejudices and further pain. Whether gay, bisexual or heterosexual, men are afraid to ask for and to express the physical caring and emotional intimacy we feel for one another for fear of being thought "gay". Men often place demands on women to provide the nurturance, touching and affection they can not seek from one another.

3. The fear of one's own sexual or physical attraction for same-sex individuals. It is natural to be attracted to and even turned on by same-sex people. We do not have to choose to act on these feelings; nor do we have to suppress them, run away from them, or hurt others to prove we're a "real" man.

4. The fear of being gay or lesbian. On average, one person in ten is gay. Amongst your family members, your friends, your co-workers, the public figures you admire, one in every ten is gay. While some have been embittered by society's prejudices, the vast majority of gay people lead diverse, well adjusted, satisfying lives.

So you can see that most honophobic people are really just using their aggression to hide their own fears!

You rock boy! and good luck!

Peter Odendaal

Charl-Van-Den-Berg said...

thanx for your input Peter!
really interesting thoughts!!!!
C

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