Normalization

I volunteer at a place that provides a listening ear for LGBTQ youth, and the other day I was thinking about how a lot of the issues these youth are concerned about can be grouped into two categories.

1. People who are scared of coming out because their peers/family/religion, etc. might not be supportive of them (to put it lightly, as some of them face ostracism or being kicked out);

2. People who are concerned that what they're doing (e.g. cross-dressing, having sex with men and liking it, etc.) is wrong. In a way, these folks are easier to deal with, because all they really need to be told is that it's NORMAL.

Conclusions I've made from this: there needs to be alot more public awareness about sexuality. I'm reminded of the debate regarding the now-scrapped sex ed curriculum proposed by Premier Dalton McGuinty. To all the naysayers who effectively killed this proposal: I am sorry if you think the proposed knowledge would corrupt your child. I understand that you have the child's best interests at heart. BUT here's the thing: you can't stop people from being gay, liking cross-dressing, or being a bottom. It's who they are, and if they don't realize that it's totally normal and fine to feel that way, well, that can mess someone up. I've found that one of the biggest steps of the coming out process is coming out to oneself, and if you cant accept yourself for who you are, well, a lot of pretty horrible feelings can be dredged up. I've been there. So tell me, is THAT in my best interests?