When I was a kid, I participated in several theater productions, both backstage and as an actor. The main theater group I was a part of was run by a gay couple, Randy and Doug. However, as a kid, I didn't know that they were a couple or even that they were gay. I just thought that they were a couple of friends who liked theater. I remember that I was still involved with this particular theater company in middle school. It was around then that Ian told me that they were gay and I was shocked. I didn't know that I knew anyone that was gay and here it turned out that I had known a gay couple for a few years.
Why do I bring this up? I was thinking about this experience recently and I was impressed that my parents allowed me and my sibling to participate. This was back in the early-to-mid nineties when the homosexual community was not nearly as accepted as it is today. My parents could have easily not had us be involved with that particular theater company, but instead, they taught us by example that regardless of someone's lifestyle, they are still human beings and deserve respect.
Nowadays, it's easy to get swept up in an argument with each side taking things to the extreme, but it's important to remember that whatever side we fall on, the other side is made up of fellow human beings and they deserve to be treated as such. I'm thankful that my parents had the foresight to show me that when I was a child.
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