This is another reason why gays or trans are usually isolated from social groups. Any hetero person that hangs out with a gay or trans person is branded a "lesser than" a queer as well. They too become the target of bullying and harassment, so often times they choose to go with the peer pressure to avoid it.
It's really taxating both mentally and physically when in you're entire life you have to deal with this sort of bs.
School isn't over just because you're out of it, you have to continue to deal with the this mentality even amongst "mature" adults. You'll see it at work (if you manage to get accepted by one), you'll see it when going on dates, you'll see it normalized in popular media, and you'll even see it being pushed by politicians and leaders for cheap votes. It's disgusting, and this is why a lot of them tend to commit suicide. It's easy to be nonchalant about the situation and brush them aside as being "special snowflakes just wanting pity" of course, if the problem doesn't affect you.
I won't lie, before I came out to my mom as bi back in May (which was also not exactly done on my own terms, but that is a whole different story, and some of you are likely aware of it already as I made a thread on here about it shortly after it happened; in case you don't remember it, feel free to send me a private message about it on here), because, as I said, my IRL best friend considers himself gay (and non-binary too, like I said, I'm not quite sure how sexuality is defined for people who are non-binary, although this was largely going on before he came out as non-binary to me; remember, he formerly identified as a cisgender male who is gay, which is why I still refer to his sexuality as being homosexual). Well, the thing is, he and I are going to the same college now, and it's a Christian college, and especially with how many Christians consider homosexuality to be a sin (particularly the denomination that my college belongs to, which is Southern Baptist, the church I've been raised in since my birth), and how homosexuality (and gender identity, by extension) face many barriers in social acceptance as it is, my mom extensively warned me in the summer last year as I was getting ready to start my freshman year that people would find out about my friend being gay either from his word of mouth or "just finding it obvious by his mannerisms" (something else about gay stereotypes that annoys the
hell out of me), and since I was his friend, she repeatedly warned me that by extension of being his friend, other students at the school would think I'm gay myself (which I guess is technically half-true with how I'm bisexual, but that's besides the point, and again, she didn't know that then). The reason she kept giving me these warnings is because she really hoped I'd meet a girl in college and that said girl and I would start dating (I've only had one relationship and it didn't even happen until this past January, and all I'll say about it is that I broke up with her after just one day because, quite frankly, she was someone I didn't need to be with). Much of this was rooted in the fact that my mother, who is the youngest of three children, is the only child of her parents who got married or had kids, and she herself didn't get married until she was 34 years old in 1997 (she was born in 1962), and my mom basically was trying to make out to be that if I didn't meet a girl in college, I was doomed in my chances of marriage happening in my lifetime.
I'm sorry for my whole long spill and I realize I kind of got sidetracked with it, but I was trying to convey the point of the ridiculousness my mom had about my best friend being gay, but maybe she was right, people (especially at a Christian college) would judge me for having a friend who is gay, particularly a best friend. However, I don't see sexuality as a reason to dump a friend, especially considering that like I had said, it was way back in 2012 when he and I became friends and he has helped me out
immensely over the last several years. It would also be hypocritical of me as well, considering, again, I'm bi.
It's just that, especially among conservatives (I did grow up in a strong Christian family where my parents vote Republican, and they do support Donald Trump; although I will say that at least my dad doesn't seem to support Trump as much as he used to), I really don't think people realize how harmful this mentality we've been discussing is on LGBT people. Like you said, it explains the higher suicide rates among LGBT, which is just atrocious IMO.
Again, like I had said, I've typed up a
lot and it wasn't my intention to. But as someone who, as I said, is a cis guy who is bisexual, I do want to ask you and anyone else interested in answering this question: do you think bisexuals (and pansexuals too) face many of the similar judgements that gay and transgender people do?
Also, for the record, about my mom, she still echoes many of those same sentiments about my gay, non-binary IRL best friend and she still thinks college is the best time for me to find someone to date, but she did admit that finding about my bisexuality threw her for a loop in that regard. Even if I'm single though, I do admit that I'm confident that I'll find someone someday (female or male) to spend the rest of my life with, and I do want to have children.
