Gender Panel

Today in Sociology, we had a some students come into our class and talk openly to us about being gay, lesbian, transgender, bisexual...etc. Each of the students told their story on their journey how they discovered it and how they have been treated. With each and every story, I got more and more interested. I learned that not every person fits into a category like I thought they did. There were also gender queers who haven't quite found that lightbulb that they needed to understand themselves. I thought it was interesting that transgenders actually do have science to back up their claims but the tests are done post mortem which wouldn't help. I feel like my eyes were opened to a world that I never really paid much attention to. In the hallways, I would see them and think, "yea, they're gay" but it really didn't phase me much. It didn't matter to me their sexual preferences and I never bothered to ask to hear their story. Now that they have opened up, I am more mindful of my everyday experiences and encounters. They were very comfortable talking about their story and I thought it was really brave and mature of them to teach us so much. I learned a lot from them and I am glad they came into to talk to us today.