Homosexuality Can't Be Stereotyped

I recently had a friend of a friend tell my friend that he wouldn’t date me because of my political affiliation. I had no chance to explain why I think the way I do or to show that I offer more than just political rhetoric. His quick judgment seems rather petty, don’t you think?
Acceptance of gays by gays is a problem that spans more than just the political spectrum. It involves the recognition, or lack thereof, of gays who don’t conform to mainstream gay culture. For a community that advocates open-mindedness and tolerance, it’s baffling to witness the ignorance and prejudice in regards to gays who have differing interests on any level.
Gaming, NASCAR, camping (of the hike-up-a-mountain-and-crap-in-a-hole-you-dug variety) and so many other “abnormal” activities all seem contradictory to the shopaholic, club-going gay stereotype. What I deem as the “gay standard” was actually taught to students in a class at the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor.
According to a September 2001 article in The American Enterprise, Professor David Halperin was scheduled to teach a class that included discussion of “diva-worship, drag, muscle culture, taste, style and political activism,” among other things. His explanation for teaching the class is as offensive as his curriculum: “Just because you happen to be a gay man doesn’t mean that you don’t have to learn how to become one,” Halperin said.
So let me get this straight (no pun intended): If I’m in conflict with the image professor Halperin is trying to convey, am I socially inferior to a homosexual who isn’t? I don’t think so.
Frankly, the narrow-mindedness must stop from within, or public acceptance of homosexuals will never happen. Before the world accepts gays for who they are, the gay community should recognize and accept the fact that it may be homosexual, but it sure isn’t homogenous.
from University Daily Kansan / Chris Horn