I both cringe at and feel annoyed with some people’s belief that one’s homosexuality is a choice, or a result of having been influenced by another homosexual, or caused by a lack of faith in God.
Here’s why I, as a homosexual, disagree with any of those notions.
I grew up in a Catholic household surrounded by a fair amount of straight men and straight women of varying ages, and spent an equal amount of time with both genders.
I was the only gay kid (was unaware at the time that I was) for some years in elementary school, and had only straight male and female friends. I even spent most of my time with the guys doing the usual “boy stuff” back then.
The majority of my childhood relatives and friends with whom I spent a lot of time were boys. And among my relatives, there were only a few female contemporaries of mine with whom I mingled.
Yet, here I am, a homosexual for as long as I can remember. Growing up, I was never attracted to women. For a time, I pretended to be. But I really developed an attraction to men early on.
I’ve been a regular Sunday churchgoer ever since I was a child and even studied in a Catholic school. In my childhood, I was exposed only to straight couple movies and books and was not aware of the idea of homosexuality.
Also, no relative influenced me to become gay, because as far as I know, I am the only gay person from either side of my family.
My point is that no one in my life ever told me that I should be attracted to men or women, so my sexual orientation is not a choice.
It is also not a case of having been influenced by somebody else, because I never saw a same-sex couple when I was younger. Same-sex couples were not (yet) showcased very much (if at all) in the media in the early 2000s.
Lastly, I go to church regularly and believe in God, so me being gay did not stem from a lack of faith.
Being a homosexual is something one would really feel within himself/herself, usually at an early point in his/her life. This is something most straight people will never understand.
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