By Alyssa Gutierrez
“You’re raised into your beliefs”
oh, but that’s a lie.
If I was raised into my beliefs;
a Catholic,
Hispanic-focused
culture
rooted in hatred for those who are
“different”
then,
shouldn’t I have hatred for these people as well?
shouldn’t I look at them with a face full of disgust?
like how my neighbors
in Mexico
look when they see
two men kissing on TV?
they ingest the rage;
as if it looking at the kiss
meant they were sinners;
ready to repent.
though,
I never saw it as
revolting.
as a child,
I was forced to believe I was consuming sin
being friends with
those who liked the same sex
as if I wasn’t taught in my Catholic masses:
God loves everyone equally.
Author’s Note
I wrote this poem to talk about the relationship between culture and the LGBTQ+ community. While I am straight, I have–often–heard about the harrowing experiences my friends back in Mexico encountered when they decided to come out to their parents. As children, we were all forced to believe that same-sex relationships were acts of the Devil; our Catholic masses emphasized the need to bring light to those who liked the same sex. I hear too many times, “This is how I was raised,” but there is importance in educating ourselves and becoming aware that what we are taught as children is not necessarily the most beneficial or correct information. I will continue to be an advocate for the LGBTQ+ community and support anyone dealing with the negativity that comes from a specific culture; however, it took distancing myself from my culture and Church to become aware that my community—at the time–was only stripping away the humanity from others who were not the same as us.