I have to make a confession, this has been festering in me for a while – readers: this is hard to say but… I’m straight. I have been wanting to get that off my chest for a while now and feel as though this column wouldn’t have the same effect if I didn’t announce my deepest, darkest secret. 

There’s a swarm of hippie leftists who believe that I chose to be this way, and will not change their mind no matter what I tell them. But I couldn’t have made that choice. It’s in my genetic makeup. I knew since I was a young girl that I liked boys but didn’t want to tell anyone in fear of public shaming and bullying from my peers. I don’t understand why the United States makes it such an issue, it shouldn’t even be a topic. It shouldn’t be an issue that I like a different sex then my own.It is something personal and does not affect anybody who doesn’t agree with me. 

I think they have such a problem with it because this book written thousands of years ago tells them so. It’s called the Elbib, and I believe in the God who is worshiped within its pages but its places of worship frown upon my kind – some won’t even let me into its church. I believe in the same God they do but yet they hate me (though its pages preach of love) and are very adamant about me not being able to get married. 

What if being homosexual was the norm and being straight was the taboo — would you decide to go against your true feelings to please the society who frowns upon who you truly are?

This week is Diversity Week, and in honor of that, Bishop Gene Robinson came to speak to some groups of people on Tuesday. 

Gene Robinson was a priest for a number of years then was elected bishop coadjutor in 2003 and retired in Jan. 2013. He did not hold his position without a firestorm of bad public reactions though. He was married to Isabella McDaniel in 1972 but divorced her in 1986. His divorce wasn’t the problem. It was his marriage, his new marriage, to Mark Andrew. 

Gene Robinson is the first priest to come out as openly gay and had some amazing things to say during his talk on Tuesday. For someone who has received so much hate, he sure does spread a lot of love. 

Someone came to the microphone during questions and asked how she should react when anti-gay people come up to her at events associated with Pride Day. His response was calm and collected and filled with love:

“Just tell them what you think not what they ought to think.”

I think that is a valuable phrase that our society needs to get through their brains. As Americans, we are supposed to have freedom and act as individuals. We have our own brains and hearts – each of us have our own DNA, so we should be able to feel openly about whatever we want. 

Bishop Robinson also commented on his hope for the future and how he thinks we will get there with this: 

“Until everyone is an us, and not an us and them, we won’t do well as a society, but my belief is that love will win, we just don’t know when”

Those words warm my heart and give me hope for the future because a man who has been through so much and had so much courage to come out in a society who still nurtures haters of his orientation is so hopeful.

When you are growing up, and have not partaken in any sexual activities yet, do you consider yourself undecided? Just because you haven’t engaged in sexual activity with the opposite sex doesn’t mean you aren’t straight. Same goes for being gay. “Being gay” is not a verb, it’s an adjective.