Things were unbelievably homophobic when I was a kid, and I guess I just didn't notice

Playing supposedly innocent playground games like Smear The Queer, giggling at old books that used the word gay in its original sense. And there was the pledge of allegiance parody that we somehow all picked up:

I pledge allegiance to the flag,
Michael Jackson is a ***.
Pepsi-Cola burned him up,
Now he's drinking 7up.

And the weirdest part is, looking at it now, it was a whole lot of little things that individually might not have been terrible, but added up to a very negative view of anybody who wasn't strictly heterosexual.

Weird how you only see some things in retrospect.

This page is a permanent link to the reply below and its nested replies. See all post replies »

WillaKissing · 56-60, M

I had the same up bringing sayings and taught prejudices while being secretly a cross dresser. Star football player and wrestler in high school. I remained then and now purely heterosexual but dropped all my stereo typing and prejudices to become a better well-rounded person later in life. Post my divorce and trying out the dating scene again while raising my son and daughter on my own. I slowly got back into cross dressing and once my kids left home, I became a full-time cross dresser nearly living a trans lifestyle, and I love it. Still will only date or interact with women but I have made cross dressing trans lifestyle friends.

So yes, it is funny how life teachings are replaced with life experiences to make us into whom we are.
A happy Willa now.