Why are you judging?

This week we got to go on a field trip within the school to hear people speak about their sexuality. There were five speakers and they each got a chance to share their own stories/experiences. One girl had spoke about how it was so hard for her to come out to her friends and family because of the expectations they had of her. She was terrified of the outcome; the predicted comments and judgements by her peers made her sick to her stomach. The more she tried to deny her feelings, the more she felt the need to let her secret out. As I listened to her speak, I put myself in her position. How would you feel if there was a 50% chance that you would no longer be accepted in your own family? Or possibly losing friends over your final decision. If it was one great lesson I learned from the field trip, it'd be that gay people are just like you. There's no reason that you should treat them any differently than you treat someone that's straight. You can't force them to be something their not and the only thing you can do is accept it. And if you can't accept it then be mindful to those around you. The words we use such as: 'fag' and 'your gay' can offend anyone that's gay because to them those aren't just words, they're ignorant, hurtful words. The next time you think about making a ignorant comment, make sure you stop and think about what your saying. Is it necessary to say things that may hurt someone else that isn't straight? How would you feel if you were in that person's shoes? They're already going through enough as it is, the last thing they need is an ignorant comment made by someone that's inconsiderate.