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Opinion

Film raises questions about gay discrimination in society

Melissa Correa
Opinion Columnist

I saw Brokeback Mountain, a movie that focuses on a secret gay relationship. I am a conservative, but I can't grasp why society persecutes homosexual relationships. Is it really our business?

The movie's story begins in 1963 and is about two men coming to terms with their relationship. The movie explicitly illustrates their sexuality; it allows audiences to fully understand the connection the two men share.

After discussing this issue with a few men, gay and straight, I came to realize that homosexual rights are a major issue and that some gay men continue to feel persecuted by society. 

Why is two people's love such an issue? I've met so many guys, and I have yet to share any kind of great love like these two men found. But, according to my friend, "God detests homosexuality," and that's why so many men feel uncomfortable. 

I don't buy that. If people want to play the God card, then they will agree that God detests pre-marital relations, vulgarity, prejudice, lying -- I could go on and on. Many of the men who aren't comfortable with homosexuality don't live their lives solely on the word of God, so I don't buy their religion excuse. 

I asked the straight guys if they would have enjoyed the film if it had portrayed a love affair between a man and a woman (as God had intended), and they all thought it would make for an excellent picture. 

I then asked if they would have gone to see the movie if it centered around lesbian women, and they pretty much agreed they would pay for a movie like that. 

Why does the prejudice toward homosexuality vary between lesbians and gay men? And why are men more uncomfortable than women? No matter how uncomfortable we feel, homosexual relationships exist now and have throughout history. 

One of my gay friends told me he has met many closeted, married men who go to homosexual clubs for an outlet. These men end up creating a false life to fool their circle of friends, but ultimately, they are homosexuals. He proceeded to tell me that many men are in the closet out of embarrassment.

A straight guy I spoke to said he didn't have a problem with two gay guys being together -- just as long as they weren't flamboyant or weren't around him. 

I'm sorry. I didn't know that gay men should cater to everyone's personal problems. In that case, couples that make out in public make me uncomfortable so I am going to ban all public displays of affection. 

I blame society and our parents for encouraging the idea of anti-homosexuality. Though most parents rear their children to be productive members of society, they also rear them to believe gay relations just aren't right. If their child were to involve himself in a homosexual relationship, the kid would be ostracized. Something is definitely wrong in that picture. I thought parents were supposed to love their children unconditionally.

My parents wanted me to become a lawyer, but I didn't become homeless when I decided on journalism. When parents find out their children had sex before marriage, very seldom are the children shunned, but when parents find out their child is gay, it automatically becomes a family secret and, in many cases, the child is judged harshly.

If two people love each other, what's the big deal? I have a feeling that in a decade or so, this will pass just like slavery, just like the suppression of women's rights, just like everything else. In a few years, we will be persecuting another social group. It's the circle of life, right?

Correa, an opinion columnist for The Daily Cougar, 
can be reached at mel_correa@yahoo.com.