Thoughts of the Day

So, I'm writing a piece on terminology, and what my old classmate Nakia would call "horizontal hostility" amongst minorities. In case you don't know what that is, horizontal hostility is the conflict between different minority groups despite both (or all) sharing common oppressors. When Nakia was using it, she was talking about the problems that Latinos and African-Americans face, both together and apart, with and without one another.

The piece I am writing has more to do with being gay and being Latino. Obviously, these are two important factors that play large roles into who I am as a person. One might say that I'm not very "Latino-acting" because of the stereotypes that they may expect of someone who is Mexican or Guatemalan or Spanish-speaking. Another might say I'm not very "Latino-acting" because I'm gay, which deviates from the norm. There are very stereotypical Latino things about me, but not on the surface.

The moral of the story I am writing is that despite my ability to accept what I am, I refuse to only be categorized as Mexican. What's wrong with being "just" Mexican? I began thinking about it when I read an article that asked, "So WHAT if I chose to be gay?" By saying its not a choice, one denies the fact that being gay, despite its hardships, can be quite fabulous and great.

Anyway, I'm trying to shit out this article, and its coming out as easily as a fiber-free shit. So not very easily.

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