There are two issues here. One is sexual orientation and the other is gender role identification. I would really like to know who decided that one thing is for girls, another is for boys, girls can crossover sometimes, but only marginally, and boys never.
My oldest daughter was three when she asked for and received a red Wrangler toy pickup truck complete with a Wrangler cowboy and a yellow Tonka dump truck. (Barbie drove it.) No one thought that was odd. She had a basketball, softball, soccer ball and even a football and that was cool. At age seven she swore off dresses for about 12 years. Seriously. Barbie and G.I. Joe built a Lincoln Log cabin and destroyed it with the dump truck...no problem. Then along comes my son. As is only natural he wants to play with his older siblings toys. He also wants to mimic mom. All little kids do. So he would lavishly apply my red lipstick, don my red high heels, throw on a pair of "Hollywood" sunglasses and hop on his little blue scooter and ride all around our apartment building. Deliriously happy. Barbie rode the Power Rangers motorcycle with the X-men and my grandmother's sheer scarfs were Superman Capes. He asked for and Santa brought him that Barbie much to the horror of most of my male relatives, friends and neighbors. They sneered and ridiculed when I allowed him to play with baby dolls. "Why do you let him?" the asked. "Why do you let little girls play with baby dolls?" I replied. "I will tell you why. So that they can practice and play at being "mommy". Look at him. He is telling his baby that daddy loves him. I can't think of a better reason to let him. If you can think of a better reason as to why he shouldn't, then let's hear it." Silence. I thought so. He was a kind, gentle, generous, soft-spoken, sensitive little boy who could charm the hood off a cobra. Not to worry. The school yard bullies took care of that. After all, boys in our society are supposed to be mucho macho, rough-tough, hard and unemotional. To be otherwise is to be a sissy, a fag, a girl and other such horrors. These adjectives are hurled and punctuated with fists so that the lesson may be duly learned. "Only girls cry you sissy!" they would taunt him after punching him for being so un-boy-like as to say thank you or sorry. Why is crying just for girls? Most of all, why is being like a girl such a bad thing?! It's better to be called a toad, a pig or a dog, but for heaven's sake please no, don't call a boy (man) a girl (woman)!
My oldest daughter is a grown woman now and in spite of Tonka trucks, Wrangler pickups and a ban on dresses, she is a fully functioning heterosexual woman and mother of two little boys. My son is fifteen and though he makes up for his sister's disinterest in appearance by being mighty fussy about his, he is straight as can be and has developed an aloofness that teenage girls seem to find alluring. No matter what, straight or gay, they are my children and I would love them and be proud. I am relieved that they do not have to bear the brunt of ignorant prejudice and discrimination due to their sexual orientation. Moreover, I am disheartened that in this millennium, in this great country of ours, that a movement would be made to pass an amendment to our Constitution that would limit the freedoms and liberties of a select group of people based on a singular identifying characteristic. A movement that is based on religious principles to give power to the state to discriminate against aforementioned peoples, in affect abolishing the separation of church and state and unilaterally nullifying freedom of religion. All of this brought to bear due to ignorance, fear and a lack of compassion, with no regard to the fact that sexual orientation has absolutely nothing to do with politics or religion and is no more chosen than is a person's height or color of their skin.
(Original Air Date: 10/19/05) Sexual orientation used to be something kept hidden from family and co-workers, but now more and more people are "coming out" and finding acceptance. Anjela says her mother and sister don't support her sexual orientation, and feel she can't be Christian and gay at the same time. Can they reconcile this touchy issue? Then, two men debate whether a person can go from gay to straight, and parents of a 4-year-old boy fear their son's desire to play with dolls and wear heels means he'll grow up to be gay. Are they overreacting to his wishes to be a princess instead of a prince? Talk about gender and gay issues here.
