There are some questions that are not only impolite to bring up — asking them at all can make you look pretty stupid. The old adage about their being no dumb questions is fully incorrect and untrue: There are stupid questions. There are questions you don't have to answer and should never, ever feel obligated to even respond to, given the personal nature and well, how dumb and awful they may be. A new video from BuzzFeed Yellow highlights that exquisitely well in 9 Questions Gay People Have For Straight People. And when I refer to "dumb questions that you never have to answer," I'm not talking about the questions these gay people have for straight people. I'm talking about the painfully common questions and comments that straight people ask gay people all the time, which make the basis for this video.
It's astounding the amount and depth of personal questions people—sometimes strangers—feel comfortable asking a person. I regularly field queries as to "where I'm from" as well as my sexual orientation. I won't even answer those here now because—ahem—I don't have to. No one has to. Yet, these questions keep popping up with alarming abundance, primarily regarding sexuality and especially directed toward queer people. You'd never in a million years consider referring to an African-American person's racial identity as a "lifestyle choice"—so why do people continue to ask similar questions to gay people about their "lifestyle"? Neither was exactly an option on a multiple choice list that new babies are given when "choosing" who they want to be. In a hilarious response to these common questions, a group of gay people totally shut down any follow-ups. Some questions included:
"Why are you so worried about how I'm gonna have kids?"
Although children are wonderful, they still kinda don't help the population problem. A fair point, for sure. But more than that, questions about how and if a person plans to go about having kids is about as deeply personal as it gets. You might as well ask what kind of mobile games they like to play while they're pooping.
"Who's the man?"
Umm...even in heterosexual couples, this is kinda of a dated question.
"How does it feel to be accurately represented in...everything?"
Ugh. This one is so true. There can never be enough reminders that everyone has a personal responsibility to work towards truly diversifying representation in art and media.
Mediate on all the questions below:
Images: BuzzFeedYellow/YouTube (4)
