An interesting conversation exploded on my Facebook and Twitter pages late last night. The catalyst of the discussion was the question: “Would Gay Converts Ever Really Be Accepted?” Now for the sake of this discussion, let’s limit the parameters to the black community.
When it comes to homosexuality within the black community, there are strong opinions across the board. There seems to be a push to out black men, but what happens next? Ridicule and rejection? Seems like people want it both ways, in the closet because it’s wrong and outed because it’s great gossip. So when the question was asked, the opinions began to pour in almost immediately.
After reading most of the comments, the overriding sentiment seems to be that the acceptance of “conversion” is solely dependent on gender. In the eyes of many, only women can convert from being gay to straight and be accepted, while black men will forever be stuck with the scarlet “G.” Fair or not, that’s the overwhelming opinion from my friends in cyberspace.
Here are some of the highlights from that discussion. Feel free to add your opinion to the mix. –dewayne rogers
“As a woman, if a man told me he slept with men before, I wouldn’t take him seriously. I don’t know how one would convert, but I wouldn’t see that being a relationship I could be in. Maybe some women can deal with that, but I couldn’t. I don’t think being gay (I would say for 99 percent of people) is a choice, so I don’t know how they could change what they feel or how they are.” ~Leslie M.
“There’s a definite double standard in play here. For women, it’s considered a phase. For men, you are gay for life.” ~Mike H.
“If I could increase my font size to 45, I would type HELL NO!!!” ~Reyna J.
“Gay to straight? No. That’s like being locked up for 30 years and trying to get a good job. Can’t happen!!” ~Karisma R.
“I think that all women have been gay at some point in their life. For dudes, it’s a no-no. You can never recover from being gay.” ~Clarence P.
“Hell no!!! Especially for a guy.” ~Stacie F.
“No long, drawn out explanation necessary … just plain ole Absolutely NOT!!” ~Antoinette J.
Question of the Day: In your opinion, can a person convert from being gay to straight? If so, will society accept that change?
