I support gay people

Right off the bat I should note that I am not gay. It is not something that I would normally feel the need to say, but given this blog post, I figured it was best to have full disclosure. Despite the fact that I am not gay, I do respect gay individuals and am happy to work to promote their causes. However, I recently felt that I did not know the gay community well enough. It may be the case that I am support of equal rights and everything like that, but I felt as though I was being a hypocrite if I did not try to engage with this community.

In order to accomplish my goal, I decided that I would participate in some events going on that were sponsored by a gay/straight alliance at my school. One of the things that was going on with the alliance was something known as a drag show. I knew that this was a performance where men dressed as women and women as men, but I had never been to one before. I resolved to go to the one that was being offered. I had no idea what to expect, but if this was part of gay culture, than I wanted to know about it.

I brought along a friend to the event in order to feel a little less nervous than I otherwise would have. That friend happened to be gay and was interested in going as well. She too was a little too nervous to go by herself, but we both somehow gave each other the confidence that was required to go.

As the lights deemed and the performance began, I was surprised to find that I was not completely dreading what was happening. I had suspected that a drag show would not be something that worked for me at all, but I had been wrong. I was rather amused by what was happening. The jokes that were being told were funny, and the performances were great. I could not believe how quickly I was settling into the fact that I was at a drag show. I thought to myself "Would I tell someone I had been to this?", the answer being probably not, but it was still interesting.

Getting to see a whole different side of people is something that more of us should be doing more often. I know that I am glad that I did on this occasion. I learned that drag shows are not as bizarre as they are made out to be. They are quite entertaining performances that make you feel proud to be part of the show.

Looking back on this experience, I know that I am not going to regret it. I do wonder though why I had not thought to do something like this before. Was it some pressure from society to avoid this kind of event that had prevented me in the past? Perhaps it was that I was too scared that I might not enjoy a show like this. Whatever the reason, I hope that it does not return. I want to be able to go to things that I believe I will enjoy without any reservations about what I am doing. I wonder if there are others out there who have felt held back in the same way that I was.

Related posts:

1. How important is it for the LGBT community to have remarkable leaders?
2. Why women love gay men as best friends?