Today:
I'm watching the news. In walks Dad. "Oh is that that fag from American Idol?" (referring to Adam Lambert a former American Idol contestant). Me: "Could you please refrain from using derogatory terms like that?" Dad: "You mean fag? Would you rather I use gay?" Me: "Well, if you must refer to him by his sexual orientation, then YES. Fag is a very derogatory term." Dad: "To me, gay is just as derogatory." (he says with a wide grin on his face, as if he is so amused by my irritation). I don't even remember what I said after this. It's only after thinking about it for awhile that I come up with the perfect thing I should have said. Though I don't think what I say would actually do much to help change his ignorance. I just haven't figured out how to deal with this situation yet. I think my opinion and dissatisfaction of his actions are definitely becoming more known, but how can I get him to stop? It is absolutely offensive to me. Obviously I love my Dad and I don't want to offend or upset him, but I just can't deal with his homophobia any longer. It doesn't help that he is very stubborn minded and set in his ways. You can say it's a generational thing all you want, but that's not good enough. Plenty of people his age are acceptant of all people, all sexual orientations. I know that not everyone is going to support gay marriage (though obviously I think you should) but at the VERY LEAST, show a little respect for all people, and please refrain from the offensive comments!!
No comments:
Post a Comment