Published February 4, 2014
Warning: This work has been rated 16+.
Why am I called gay?
So what if I don't conform
to what “standard” straights say.
I am just being me.
I cried during Up,
I draw and write,
I dress nice.
And never say gay to tear someone down.
So why am I labeled by the things I don't do?
I don't insult someones sexuality,
I don't call my friends faggots
And yet people still think that there is something wrong with that.
If gay means being nice,
Dressing well,
Being creative,
Being able to express yourself freely.
And straight means insulting others,
Dressing like you don't care,
Drowning your artistic side for fear of judgement,
And never showing emotion, then I'd rather be called gay.
I am not gay.
But because I'm not afraid of being me,
I am still;
metaphorically filleted.
This is a world where gay is bad,
Only straight is good,
Emotion is bad,
And fighting is good.
But gay is still the insult.
So wouldn't you say that it would be better to be called gay?
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140,262 Literary Works • 673,077 Reviews
My ELA and literature teachers always told my class that starting a work with a rhetorical question isn't the best idea for a hook...
The whole rhetorical question at the beginning off your work is a played out classic that no one really uses. These days when someone starts off writing such a question, they take away the interest that was once in their work.
...but...judging from your piece, it was a great idea.
The gay vs. straight ordeal has always and always will be a disputable topic that centers around one major point: gay=bad. And personally, for me, adressing the topic in a poem would have been a hard task, but you were able take both the major and minor points (seeing as the slightest thing a kid does, such as openly expressing their emotions, makes them "gay") and make them flow in such an inspirational piece.
Kudos to you for a job well done.
Thanks for the awesome review! It means a lot.
I kinda get your drift, but maybe it didn't come across so fluently.
Hey, i love what your trying to say it's very inspirational. Because in my mind i think that this poem is about how people are being bullied for what they're not which i personally think i horrible. But I loved it mostly because it resembles to my guy best friend who gets called gay all the time even though he is not. so there love that you made this poem to which really makes a stand.
~Pinkdinosaurs x
Thank you!
No problem
Its an awesome poem. I really loved it. You have just given your message to the society that you are just being what you are supposed to be and how the god has created you. The world is of a misconception that being gay is something bad and you have said that not being yourself is actually a bad thing.
Being Gay is not bad. People should not feel bad because they are gay they should feel that they are normal and more than normal they should feel that they are special people.
i recommend you to write poems which tells a message to the society with a feel like this.
keep up the good work and keep writing.
Cheers
Abhi
Thanks! It means a lot to me!
Hey XD
I love the fact you open with a rhetorical question.
More than that, I love the topic you are tackling in this work.
'I cried during Up..' this line made me laugh. Not just for the honesty, but because it targets how something can be seen as stereotypical. It's really clever.
However, as this work progresses, I think you have to be careful with the comments you are making about certain societal demographics. 'And straight means insulting others,' You are generalising here in a BIG way. Not every straight person is homophobic or ignorant/intolerant. And that is kind of how you are making it sound here.
'Emotion is bad,
And fighting is good.'
Again, I am not sure about these two lines. I think, obviously there is violence in the world, but it's not all of it.
Also... I am not really sure about the effectiveness of your ending???
I have an idea in my head of the point you were trying to make, but there's not really any clarification. More is definitely needed.
Keep writing.
~BSF
I was generalizing and using stereotypes for both gays and straights on purpose to show how society deems what stereotypical category people should fall under. Also I was using bluntness to show how some guys treat each other now a days, how they call each other faggots and can't show any emotion for fear of being outcast, it happens and it's not a generalization or stereotype to say it happens. I'm not saying all straights are homophobic and I didn't say it in my poem, I'm straight and I'm not homophobic, I was just targeting the ones that judge people based on the stereotypes that they've been led to believe.
Ok. It's not offensive. It's still good.
Being gay meansthat you're attracted to members of the same gender exclusively. None of the points you mentioned make you gay or have anything to do with being gay at all! In fact these are stereotypes of the homosexual male.
Are you confused as to what being gay means? It's not just a man being "feminine"
I know what gay means, and the point I was trying to have come across is that society still labels people gay based on those stereotypes, even though they shouldn't. I know for a fact every gay person is different, but society doesn't seem to see the difference. I was using stereotypes for both gays and straights to make a point and the point is you can be straight and still have the characteristics that society deems as gay, which is wrong, society shouldn't judge based on stereotypes alone.
Well in that case you should probably drop more hints when you change from the first person POV to the collective societal view and maybe use more collective pronouns, because to me this reads like "I'm gay so I can do things/not do things without societal backlash but oh no I'm straight actually so maybe being gay shouldn't be an insult."
I loved this. I agree with you being gay isn't supposed to be bad! Anyways i really loved this poem
Aye~, I completely agree with everything written in there. Well, almost anything because some of the things doesn't necessarily apply to everyone. But. Guess you are going for the stick here, not the sugar. I like the bluntness of this poem, is a real punch in the face. A wak up call, and is time our society had one of those.
So, good job, Jony. Keep it up!
I'm not saying all straight people are like that, I mean I'm straight. I was just pointing out some of the stereotypes that society thinks all straight people should fall under and if they don't, they are labeled as gay. And it shouldn't be a bad thing not to follow "straight stereotypes" even when you are straight.
Thanks for the review though!
Ah, fair enough that's why I said you were going for the stick not the sugar. And I really liked this poem.
great poem. I enjoyed your work
Thank you!
you're welcome!