‘I still look around me before holding my boyfriend’s hand’: LGBT+ people share what they wish heterosexuals knew
The LGBT+ community has come together to share what they wish heterosexual people knew about their life.
Commenting on an AskReddit thread, people from the LGBT+ community spoke about the fears and frustrations they encounter that straight people might not understand.
(BORIS HORVAT/AFP/Getty Images)
The stereotypes about being in the community were the most frustrating thing for some people.
“As a gay man it doesnt [sic] mean Im [sic] remotely interested in talking fashion or being your gbff,” one person explained.
A second added: “In high school I identified as gay. I came out to someone who flat out denied I was gay because I wasn’t a sassy fashionista.”
For others, they felt that heterosexuals could never comprehend the fear of coming out to family and friends.
“The mere thought of coming out is terrifying, let alone the actual act,” one person wrote. “The fear that is always there, is that more subtle, nagging fear that things will just never be the same.”
Somebody else said: “I also feel like people don’t understand that coming out never really ends.”
Other people explained that they were annoyed that identifying as LGBT+ seemed to have a stigma of being attracted to everyone.
“We’re not attracted to every one of our preferred sex,” one person wrote.
Another quipped about being bisexual and blending in with heterosexuals: “It’s like you’ve infiltrated the straight people.. a bi-spy, or spysexual…”
More people opened up about their fears of homophobia, biphobia and transphobia and the precautions that they feel they have to take.
One person explained: “I still look around me before holding my boyfriend’s hand.
“We both drop hands when we walk near a group or a person that makes us wary.
“Worst part is, we don’t even talk about it anymore.”
“I always feel so ashamed of myself for being self-conscious about this but it’s almost second nature,” a separate person added.
