Introduction
Sexual discrimination is when an individual is segregated in terms of treatment from other people of the opposite sex in a less favorable way. The human race tends to segregate people for fear of facing rejection or not knowing what the party holds behind the small difference either in the race, sexuality or even gender. People tend to fear others on the basis of difference in sexuality, gender and race. Understanding and willingness to embrace our differences can immensely improve relationships among people who consider each other different.
Sexual Orientation Discrimination
Last time I was at school we were in a class where people came from different parts of the country. The diversity in the places where people lived therefore meant that we were bound to experience different cultures, behavior and even social classes. Personally, I was excited about the whole scenario and was looking forward to make friends and understand people from different backgrounds. The preparation had come earlier where I had schooled in an international school before, therefore I wanted to experience the different cultures and this meant that I was ready to embrace them.
The reporting day to school was usual where nervousness and anxiety was shown throughout the class. People were new and therefore there was the problem of choosing the friends and connecting to the class as well as the school environment. There were students that were accustomed as soon as they reached class and some that were taking long to integrate into groups. The lecturer grouped us and allowed as to introduce ourselves to each other and give our expectations in life.
Discrimination of any form is based on expectations that are placed on an individual by the society. For example, in I Won, I’m Sorry, Nelson (524) asks “But how can you win if you are female?” This is because it is not expected of women to win. Similarly, Derrick’s discrimination was as a result of the expectations that the society placed on her. The integration process went on for two days until there were some changes where people could talk to each other and try to help in the class situations. The third day brought a new student who according to me was a girl as “she” approached class. The teacher told “her” to take a seat at the front of the class close to another girl and she refused looked around and then went at the back to sit with a boy who looked the biggest in class. The other students just laughed and the class went on.
After the lesson, the lecturer needed the student to introduce herself to the class and this is when the atmosphere changed. The student introduced himself as Derrick in a small voice. Everyone laughed but the girl and the professor did not. The reason the people laughed is because she was dressed in a girl’s clothes, walked like a girl and voice was small just like a girl’s. Everyone thought that she was kidding and therefore they laughed at the professor for being joked at. The professor did not take it personal, so he asked the girl again after complimenting her for making the class lively. She insisted she was Derrick and therefore the professor had to ask for her Identification document.
The professor apologized to her for the confusion and left the class. “Today, both men and women wear earrings,” notes Felshin (Nelson 527). Everyone was in shock except Derrick, the guy she went to sit with moved to another location and left him there. Derrick was gay, and he did not hide it. At the moment, being gay wasn’t considered cool and therefore derrick succumbed to segregation from every member of the class. He sat alone for most of the classes and throughout the lessons he was silent. The initial professor used to engage him for clarification and even though he was good in answering questions, no one ever asked him anything.
The next day as I was preparing my presentation for my online blog Derrick approached me. I cannot say that I wasn’t uncomfortable but I tried hard not to show it. He called me by my name and even though my book on the desk had my name on it and picture, I found it weird that he had my credentials before I told him. He told me that he had creeped the class on the first day, it was supposed to be funny but I did not laugh. At this point everyone in class was staring at us, I felt sweaty. Then I mustered courage and looked up, took his hand into mine and said hi to him. He felt happy and sat close to me.
I felt the eyes of the other students pressing hard on us, from the corners of my eyes I could see that derrick was feeling comfortable and had something to say but was not speaking. I looked at him, smiled and told him I didn’t find it odd. He smiled, told me that it wasn’t his fault to be gay and that he had no point in hiding it. I tried hard to suppress all the negative feelings I had and to build on it, I glanced at my computer screen and bolded what I had written in sheer efforts to come to terms with the reality of the situation. It was hard to place derrick in any one given gender in terms of appearance and behavior.
The other students were now calling my name in whispers and telling me all odds of foul words. I ignored and asked Derrick if what I had written made any sense, he leaned towards my computer and read out the topic loud enough for everyone in class to hear. I wanted it to be a secret, but glancing at him I found out that he was shaking. He told me that he felt odd being in the class and that I should stop pretending and tell him to go away. I felt a lump at my throat and from that moment I don’t understand what came over me. The next thing I remember was that I moved to the front of the class and addressed everyone.
I remember telling the other students that it was not fair to discriminate others because of their choice of life. Even though I did not have enough points to communicate, my anger was apparent with the way that Derrick’s situation affected me. Personal life was not a cause to make others feel out of place in any way. Therefore I felt that the class was not justified to accuse Derrick of being different from them. What was sexual orientation to the class? Was it such an important issue that everyone in class had to point out and segregate Derrick for being gay. The moment I went to sit down, Derrick was in tears. The teacher clapped for me but the students remained tense.
The lesson went on in silence and people were stealing glances at us. I remember I received a note from an anonymous telling me that we looked good together. It was a hard day and the next coming weeks turned sore for me where everyone’s anger was directed. Derrick’s desk was hidden and mine was written vulgar language. The problem is that I had defended a weak person and he was considered an upside man. There was jeering every time he came to class. The teacher tried to educate the students on acceptance of others, but the efforts were in vain. “There doesn’t have to be such a complete division between ‘you are sexy’ and ‘you are athletic and strong’” this is echoed by Linda Hanley (Nelson 527).
The next thing that happened was that Derrick stopped coming to school. He messaged me on my blog telling me how he wished to change his sexual orientation and just fit into class. It was an important class to him since he wished to live an independent life after then, but all in all he felt out of place. There is a time he told me that he was going to change his dressing code and practice ways to deepen his voice. He was willing to go to all these efforts just so he could fit into the class. Then thinking hard, I told him to just shut them out and be himself.
The plan was that he just come to school and concentrate onto the business that kept him there. He was not living for any of the students in the class and therefore his business was to study and achieve his life. The plan worked but the students never relented their discriminative stand. They jeered him every day and even though he was a clever individual, there were some classes he missed. It is after six month that the students either accepted him or decided to ignore him. The latter is clear because they kept avoiding him and even sneered at him sometimes. It reminds of what Kerrigan’s mother told her “You are a girl, do girls things” and I just wonder what benefit it is to discriminate a person because of the things that can’t affect us.
An example of sexual stereotyping is in the movies where the concept of it being a reality sounds unimaginable in the minds of the producers. Therefore, it is portrayed as a funny part of the movie. In an interview with Charlie Chan who featured in a movie Charlie Chan and the Curse of the Dragon Queen. He says that, “The only thing I can think of is, if you want to cast a homosexual in a show, and you get a homosexual, it‘ll be awful. It won’t be funny . And maybe there’s something there.” This portrays homosexuality as a joke and hence giving room to discrimination (Omi 546).
Work Cited
Nelson, Mariah Burton. I Won. I'm Sorry. n.d.
Omi, M. In Living Color: Race and American Culture. n.d.
