The Importance of Allies By Meg Dukes, Editor, “Meg in the City”As members of the LGBT community, we are constantly reminded, by our heterosexual peers, what makes us different.We don’t fit into many of the accepted social norms; we bend and often break the concepts of gender and sexual identity and expression; we challenge the traditional roles that have been handed down from father to son and mother to daughter for centuries.
Christian is most widely known throughout the LGBT community as portraying Spencer on South of Nowhere, a groundbreaking television show on The N, which ran from 2005 to 2008.
When asked about a scene in the show in which Spencer’s mom Paula (portrayed by Maeve Quinlan) catches her and her girlfriend Ashley (portrayed by Mandy Musgrave) in an intimate moment, and proceeds to drag Ashley out of the house by her hair — a scene that even now, thinking about, sends chills up my spine.
Christian reminded me that this physical act of being caught and having your partner thrown out of the house isn’t as isolated as we would think.
A person doesn’t have to be a member of the LGBT community to understand the basic emotions.
When I look back on my own coming out, those who were always there for me, no matter what, were my straight friends.
They have become more than my straight friends; they have become my allies.
We don’t have to sulk through life, isolated and afraid, convinced that no one understands what we are going through.
Yes, each person is unique and so are their experiences.
But maybe, with a little effort and courage, we will find someone who understands the bigger picture.[This interview took place in July 2010]MP: Have you ever been picked on or bullied for something that makes you different? I grew up, actually, with a Hungarian father and he’s very traditional man.
He spoke the language at home and we had to go to Hungarian scouts growing up which was always like a big dorky thing to my friends.
It was like the Girl Scouts, but it was Hungarian and it was very cultural.