<p>I'm thinking about submitting this for the Common App essay on either "Discuss some issue of personal, local, national, or international concern and its importance to you." or the topic of your choice. Any critiques and comments are greatly appreciated and I will help you out with one of your posts in return. :) </p>
<p>In our lives we are often faced with personal situations that conflict with our self-proclaimed beliefs. Some of those beliefs are challenged and fall, often for just reasons, while others are further reinforced by such experiences. In my case, the former rather than the latter describes the events that remolded and softened my views on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transsexual (LGBT) rights and individuals in that community.</p>
<p>During the early years of my adolescence, I had developed a somewhat homophobic view towards gays. Not because I was raised in a household that did not preach acceptance of others, I cannot recall a time my parents ever encouraged me to be biased in any way, shape or form, but because that is simply the group mindset of most heterosexual males at that age. Hence, I adopted the lexicon of my peers and used terms such as “fag”, “queer”, “homo” and “gay” in a rather flippant manner to express annoyance with something or to deride someone. Occasionally, my parents would overhear one of these comments and lecture me about how they have many friends that were gay and that they found such statements offensive. These lectures had little effect on me and I continued to use these terms around my friends and peers.</p>
<p>Then there came a revelation. At the age of fourteen, my parents had decided that it was an appropriate time to tell me that my uncle Stephen was gay. Stephen, who I looked forward to seeing every summer ever since I was a small child, because he was much younger than my other uncles and willing to accompany me on fishing expeditions and put up with me climbing on him and other similar activities. Stephen, who wore ever-present Oklahoma State Cowboys shirts, had a Great Dane and red F-150. I had inklings that he might have been gay when he brought his then room-mate Gabriel to the family Christmas one year, coupled with the fact that he was unmarried and in his 30’s.</p>
<p>My reaction to this news was a strange mixture of disbelief and acceptance. I suppose I had known, but I still didn’t want to believe it because of my insecure attitude that led me to believe that homosexuality was a choice. The more I scrutinized at the basis of my views on homosexuality, the more I realized that those views were rooted in ignorance, prejudice and concluded that they were illogical and unfounded. My position on the matter was altered from the reactionary dogma of my peers, to one that I formulated personally based on research that led me to ascertain that homosexuality is a matter of natural inclination, not a choice. I do regret that I didn’t educate myself on the matter until it affected me personally, but sometimes it takes a “human-face” to force one to examine the basis of their views and be more informed about a matter. </p>
<p>Going forward, I have educated myself and become more accepting and open-minded in general of all peoples, not just homosexuals, because I realize now that even just one person taking the initiative to be more understanding and compassionate to individuals that are regarded by the “moral majority” as being somehow dissimilar can be the catalyst by which society’s views of that group can be revolutionized to a more broadminded and permissive outlook.</p>