Let me give you a little bit of insight into my daily routine. I get up every morning and let my 8 pound Maltese, Milo, out to use the restroom. Then I take a shower and get ready for work. It takes me an hour to get ready for work and about 15 minutes to eat breakfast. Then I leave and start my 35 minute drive up the mountain for work. I do my job, then I go home. I come inside, change clothes, and take Milo on a walk. There's usually some sort of errand that needs to be run, which I do. Then I cook dinner and sit down at the dinner table to eat dinner with my wife. We talk about our how our days were, what our schedule looks like the next day, and any other general conversation. We clean up after dinner and usually do something to unwind and relax such as watching TV, playing on the computer, reading, etc. Then we go to bed.
Now, let me tell you about Jordan's daily routine. She gets up and immediately turns on the coffee pot. She usually has some homework left over from the night before, which she completes. Then, she gets ready for work and goes to work. She comes home and works on homework. If she has class that night, she goes to class. If not, she usually does laundry or some light cleaning. Then she eats dinner, tries to relax, and goes to bed.
These two stories sound incredibly mundane and boring, don't they? EXACTLY. We don't do anything much differently than anyone else. We eat and sleep and shower just like everyone else. We have jobs, just like everyone else. She's in school, obtaining her master's degree to become a counselor. I'm making my mark on the beauty industry working for Estee Lauder. We aren't much different than anyone else on the face of the planet. So, why is it, that we get funny looks when we hold hands in the grocery store? Why, when we sit on the same side of the booth, are we always asked if our checks are together or separate? Like Chely said, I'm just trying to live my life... your glares and misconceptions are completely unnecessary.
On my birthday, we had dinner at a Japanese restaurant. We were at a table with one couple that had 3 kids and a high school couple. The high school couple took a million pictures of themselves eating and laughed too loud at each other's jokes. The mother of the 3 children was obnoxious. She basically changed something about every single thing she ordered. Her entire order needed to be cooked a special way.. "No broccoli for him. Split her rice between the rest of us. We want to share the steak and shrimp, but I want all the shrimp, he wants all the steak...blah blah blah." It was annoying, but we just kept to ourselves. The woman proceeded to glare at us the entire time we were eating. We literally ordered our food, made no changes, and ate the food that was given to us. The woman was so disgusted with our lifestyle, she left and took the kids as soon as the chef had finished cooking and told her husband to pay the check and meet her in the car. Which of the two would you rather eat with? 3 children and a complicated order or a quiet couple with no complaints? We aren't really sure what people think is SO strange about us, but I can tell you, we really aren't much different than any other young couple in the world.
I'm not saying that you have to love every person you meet because you won't. What I am saying is, take the time to get to know them...you might actually like them. I am a person...not JUST a gay person.
The video I'm referring to:
Leah, thanks for this excellent and engaging post. It certainly made me think. I've never seen your blog before--I'm looking forward to reading more of what you have to say. This particular post reminds me of a post I recently wrote on my blog about a situation in the UK. (Note: my blog is just under 2 months old, so I'm still figuring out what I'm doing. I welcome any direction or feedback you would like to offer!) Here's a link: http://chelyagogo.blogspot.com/2013/01/oh-those-gay-metro-elites.html
ReplyDelete