The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current, February 09, 1973, SECOND SECTION, Page PAGE 3, Image 15
philosophy I want to single out the more subtle kinds of oppression. I wish straights could understand the feeling of being smothered every day by values and behaviour which not only negates one's whole existence, but which also is destructive to them. Perhaps minority groups can understand, but never completely. Although they have been cast as a minority group politically, gays can disappear into the fabric of society. Few gay people are recognized and the "closets" are full of persons who keep this part of their lives a secret. Maybe this would come in handy, (I'll admidt I sometimes feel like a mouse in a corner), but the main result of hiding one's gayness is internalizing the oppression. Not only do gays feel badly about what people say, but they don't dare object for fear of disclosing their secret. Let me give you a few examples of the day-to-day oppression of which I'm speaking. Think about your girlfriend or boyfriend. Now pretend every time you want to . hold hands, kiss or even look at each other affectionately, you have to look around to make sure no onejs watching. Pretend you're with your friends or parents, you have to call herhim a "friend" (gays say roommates). Go one step further. Let's pretend you're living with your boyfriend or girlfriend without the benefit of marriage, but you've decided to tell your parents about your feelings for one another. How would you feel if your parents kept saying: "When are you going to find a nice girl and settle down?" It amazes me that many gay "marriages" do survive this pressure. It's far easier, after all, to maintain a bachelor's image than that of a man with a rooommate. The best way to describe the alienation is by visualizing the popular poster dealing with black feelings in a white society. The poster shows a black boy sitting in an all-white room with all-white accessories. Nowhere are there any positive role models for gays. If there are a number of well-adjusted gay people around, they are systematically excluded from any respectable position (remember, if you will, the attempts by some regents last year to ban gay speakers from the ASUN-sponsored Time-Out Conference). The type of oppression has a more damaging effect than any number of archaic sex laws. The gays' lot probably won't improve until the cycle of oppression is broken which keeps individuals quiet. Until more persons disclose their gayness, public attitudes are not likely to change. Unfortunately, most gays will not come out openly until they see a shift in the public's attitude. page 3b "if