I was walking home last Saturday evening. I had just passed MoTini's when two guys in a truck drove past and shouted, "Grow some hair, dyke!" I kept walking, speechless and rather angry, but I thought, "At least it's over." But it wasn't. These two gentlemen decided their boorish shouts were not enough, because they drove down University Avenue a few blocks, turned around, sped toward me and raced through a puddle at the side of the road, soaking me from head to toe. What started out as a pleasant evening quickly became dark, cold and disturbing.
If these guys had taken five minutes to actually speak with me, they would have learned that I am a passionate theater artist with opinions, ideas and emotions. We could have shared a few drinks or simply conversed about the weather. They would have known that I am in a terrific relationship with my boyfriend of over five years. Instead, they chose only to see a woman with hair too short for their tastes and decided the only obvious solution to the problem was public assault. It appears these boys found that having a good time meant putting "dykes" in their places.
The blue truck that attacked me last weekend may be confined to Muncie, but I now know that these "blue trucks" can be found all across the world. These boys are part of the homophobic population, which apparently feels that a good way to solve problems is with hate and violence. Homosexuality is currently in the white-hot, if temporary, heat of our media and political attention and is surrounded by many different and often passionate opinions. My purpose in writing this is not to ask anyone to adhere to a specific set of beliefs or a more liberal ideology, for I believe that differing opinions provide a great sense of freedom in education and in life; however, regardless of your thoughts on same-sex marriage, or homosexuality in general, it is NOT OKAY to treat your fellow human beings, straight or not, with such disregard. Heterosexuals and homosexuals alike, blacks and whites, Muslims and Christians all inhale oxygen and exhale carbon dioxide; we are all born and die, have friends and, apparently, enemies.
As a straight woman who has now experienced a "gay-bashing" by two ignorant and poorly raised boys, I must speak.
Fewer than seven years ago, a young, gay, male college student, Matthew Shepard, was tied to a fence in Laramie, Wyoming -- a town not all that unlike Muncie, Indiana -- and he was savagely beaten to death by two, young, ignorant kids. These homosexual-haters often believe that gay people are committing an abomination, but could the guys from last weekend or Matthew Shepard's murderers honestly claim that their actions were any less wrong?
The kids who merely ruined my evening and my optimism for my fellow human creatures will continue to think that it is okay to treat homosexuals with abhorrence and violence, unless something changes.
Unfortunately, I fear that the people who are actually taking the time to read this article are probably already aware of problems like the ones I have described and respect the quality of human life. Still, I feel the need to bring this situation to light, for those who have kept silent about their mistreatment and for those who have not been given the opportunity to defend themselves.
Please, as we move on in our lives and serve as mentors to the next generation -- whether as parents, educators, friends or citizens -- teach and practice kindness to those around you. If we all find the time to replace our anger and our fear with compassion and respect, I have hope that we can eliminate this callow degradation of our fellow human beings.
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