Growing up I would here the term fagot, homo, gay, or sissy. I never really thought much of it because you kind of since that some of your friends where gay or a lesbian. My best friend did not come out into she was in high school, but I don't think she actually knew what she was because at that time she would be considered bi-sexual and the correct term she would be considered a lesbian instead of just saying she is gay. I know for a fact that she wasn't like that at first and she just tried it to be tying it. I do have friends that have always known they where gay just did not want to come out because they where ashamed that they might disrespect their family, and friends.
I can remember one time in school my best friend who was a thick madam and I was pretty skinny myself people use to call us hamburger and hot dog to us this was funny and we didn't let anyone come between us. On this particular day I had been hearing about my friend being with another close friend and it was all over were we lived. People would talk about her, her mother kicked her out, and she basically lost a lot of respect from majority of our friends but not with me because she was still my best friend. I didn't see her gender preference all I saw was that this was my friend from childhood.
In society TV, videos, and magazines depict the way we should look, dress, and love. To me this type of media power influence us everyday especially when you don't know any better. If society, parents, and friends say it's not normal to be different people would actually fight against it and even commit violent acts. Calling another person any type of nasty word can carry with them throughout their life. I would here my uncle call their sons fagots if they did something that was something that a girl might do. I knew they didn't mean any harm but, I also knew that this did hurt my cousins because I would here my cousins say, "My dad keep calling me gay may be I would just become a fagot and tick him off." This was not funny because one of my cousins is gay and he told me, "Growing up the words really did hurt him and he did not know how to tell his dad." Well needless to say my cousin never told his dad he just let his dad assume what he wanted. They speak but it is vague, I fill for my uncle because my couisni is really a wonderful person. He have a great career as a semi-pro football player and he is finishing his Master's in Education.
