In general, people have a tendency to shy away from things that are different or not completely understood. Fear and prejudice are usually two elements that accompany a lack of understanding. It's evident in the complex issue of sexuality all over the world, but especially here in America.
The reality is that there are some things in life that you truly have to experience in order to grasp the full scope. Being a member of the LGBT community is one of those things. When you yourself aren't living the experience, the next best mind opener is to witness someone close to you go through them.
Fortunately, my life presented me with those opportunities early on. My parents basically had two sets of children and there's a huge age gap between my oldest siblings and me, which lead to me having several nieces and nephews so close in age that we were raised like brothers and sisters instead of me being recognized as their uncle.
My eldest nephew, in particular, is a month older than I. Being just a month apart, we naturally built a strong bond basically from birth. Life has taken us in different directions and we don't communicate much these days, but there are some things that being around my nephew taught me that I will never forget.
From the very moment that I could remember, there was something different about by nephew. The most obvious moment was when my unofficial first kiss was with another guy. I'm a heterosexual male, but yeah, my nephew kissed me when we were kids.
Even as a little kid it was plain to see that he was different. The adults around likely knew better than we did at the time, but rightfully so, no one placed the tag on it, which in hindsight was probably best. To this day I can't officially tell you if my nephew is gay or not because the discussion has never been had and I've never actually met any of his partners.
The beauty of it all is that I give zero fucks about his sexuality because he's my nephew! As long as what he does is between two consenting adults who am I or anyone else to judge. If I can apply that logic to my blood, why not apply the same to someone else's nephew, son, daughter, cousin, mom, or dad?
No matter what a person's sexuality, sexual preference, gender identity, or any other LQBT term that I can't completely understand is, all we need to know is that the only label that matters is "human being."
By MICHAEL STEVENS
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The reality is that there are some things in life that you truly have to experience in order to grasp the full scope. Being a member of the LGBT community is one of those things. When you yourself aren't living the experience, the next best mind opener is to witness someone close to you go through them.
Fortunately, my life presented me with those opportunities early on. My parents basically had two sets of children and there's a huge age gap between my oldest siblings and me, which lead to me having several nieces and nephews so close in age that we were raised like brothers and sisters instead of me being recognized as their uncle.
My eldest nephew, in particular, is a month older than I. Being just a month apart, we naturally built a strong bond basically from birth. Life has taken us in different directions and we don't communicate much these days, but there are some things that being around my nephew taught me that I will never forget.
From the very moment that I could remember, there was something different about by nephew. The most obvious moment was when my unofficial first kiss was with another guy. I'm a heterosexual male, but yeah, my nephew kissed me when we were kids.
Even as a little kid it was plain to see that he was different. The adults around likely knew better than we did at the time, but rightfully so, no one placed the tag on it, which in hindsight was probably best. To this day I can't officially tell you if my nephew is gay or not because the discussion has never been had and I've never actually met any of his partners.
The beauty of it all is that I give zero fucks about his sexuality because he's my nephew! As long as what he does is between two consenting adults who am I or anyone else to judge. If I can apply that logic to my blood, why not apply the same to someone else's nephew, son, daughter, cousin, mom, or dad?
No matter what a person's sexuality, sexual preference, gender identity, or any other LQBT term that I can't completely understand is, all we need to know is that the only label that matters is "human being."
By MICHAEL STEVENS
Got a news tip? Want to share your story? Email us.
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