What is Gay?

What is gay? To most it is having sex with a member of the same gender. Many very negative traits have been assigned to it. It has been so maligned as to cause offense upon even being slurred at someone. Gay for many is a powerful and hurtful term.

Gay has been so divisive that our own community tries to define themselves as other names. We are now lesbians, bisexuals, transgender, and yes gays. I've never liked other people defining me. It takes power from me and reduces who I am to a single term or phrase that really has little to do with all that I am.

Now that I have given the maligned definition of gay let me tell you of its original meaning. Gay originally meant being happy or carefree in spirit. To be gay used to be a compliment. It meant you were a good person to be around and brightened peoples lives.

I've always liked that definition. We struggle so hard in our community to find out who we are and define ourselves. In our process we are lured and waylayed into other peoples definitions of who we are. Is it a wonder we go through so much pain and sorrow?

In that struggle we eventually come to a peace with ourselves and the paths we wander down. Still many of us do so uneasily, haunted by the nightmare forest that awaits those who stray to far from hope. It is for all of you I write this today.

Be gay! Ultimately we all have to learn to be happy with ourselves and be carefree of those who wish to taunt and malign us. So be gay! Live happily in the knowledge you know who you are, you are happy with who you are, and you are carefree of others allusions. Be gay and brighten the lives of not only those in our community but the whole world. Only in love will be take back a word that hate has twisted.

I'm Gay! Are You?


Love is Never Wrong