Firstly, what is the ‘gay community’? I think we can consider two groups of ‘gay guys’: what I call the ‘public gay community’ and the ‘private gay community’.
Public gay community
This is what the public sees and believes to be true of the gay community. The public stereotype is that they dress in pink, have sex promiscuously, go to night clubs for hook-ups, and generally are in the design industry. They are also the ones often portrayed in pride marches, and on the news marching for ‘Gay Rights’. What I have described here is very much a public perception rather than the truth.
Private gay community
While I have nothing against the public gay community, I think that there is a huge group of people who fit more in line with the ‘straight stereotype.’ They may prefer to socialise at people’s houses, go to restaurants, read books, cook and play poker on Sundays. But this group is so intertwined with society that they are hidden. In other words, they are not often associated with the gay community as a whole. The general public would not think of this group of people when they think of gay men.
So what’s the point?
We need to break down the stereotype that the public has of gay people. We need to get the public to see who we really are, and to understand that we are normal people. I think that the private gay community should be out there more, showing the world the other side of the ‘gay community’. Gay guys should be out there talking and spreading the word that gay is in fact normal and natural, rather than flashing their pink underwear. Gays do have a place in society. The sooner society can see this, the sooner we will have our ‘gay rights’.
Originally posted on http://www.gaylife.co.za/
