Ignorance is not Tolerance

Last night a coworker who was also a long time friend and I got into it. I have worked with this person for 13 years and have been friends with her for just as long. We each watched our children grow up and go about their adult lives. We even have little ones still at home. But it boggles the mind how such an intellegent person, a person with her PhD in Pharmacy could be so intolerably ignorant and backward.

I keep my private life for the most part seperate from my professional life as both an Author and Artist. It is not because I am ashamed of what I write about romantic and sometime erotic fictional relationships between gay men. I have never and will never be ashamed of supporting the LGBTQ community. My immediate family and I ashamed to say extended family will never understand that love is love...It's not in our culture. But my home and my children, I make sure the are raised with tolerance and understanding that everyone is different and that what makes us all unique. And if I am being honest with myself...I am bisexual, but have never had the courage ti be myself and I truly respect those who are out and proud. I came from a deeply homophobic home and culture, I toed the line, got involved with a man to young age and I was blessed to give that same man four children. No regrets, well maybe some but TMI right. The past is the past, we learn from it in order to pave the way for our next day if we are blessed with one.

Anyway back to my friend, she knew I was writing, but she never showed an interest in the subject matter, so I never saw fit to tell her. She Googled me and my work instead of coming to me and talking to me about it. Needless to say she made a production out of it. I am now a hedonistic deviant, and I am  going to burn in Hell. And that she could not believe she let me around her son. She went on to say that I am not welcome to associate with her anymore and I had to pull her aside to ask her a few questions.

First, I asked her how am I different now that she knew the kind of stories I write...She couldn't anwer me. Secondly, I asked her if I  caused her son any harm whenever he was in my care...She grudgingly said, no. And Finally, I asked her why she reacted that way? Did she read any of the stories? I mean in the medical field or any field for that matter there are alot of homosexual people. Does who they love really effect their ability to do their job...She just stared at me. I went on to point out a score of people we both work with...One of them being the Director of her own Department and asked her how she felt about that. And this intelligent professional Doctor of Pharmacy looked at me like I was the Antichrist from the Bowels of Hell and said that it's not natural and my soul was going to burn in my afterlife.

I  shook my head and I pitied her, I am sorry to say. I  told her it was nice knowing her but ignorance is not something I tolerate, and if she feels that strongly about it and thinks so little of me then she was never a friend. I went on to tell her only God can judge me and if he sends me to Hell for writing about love then I will be in damned good company. And that was the end of a friendship.