9 myths LGBTQ people are fed up hearing

The LGBTQ community has been on the receiving end of a lot of unwarranted and baseless myths that make no sense whatsoever.

Be it the misconception that they choose their sexual orientation or the inaccurate argument that their orientation is ‘unnatural’, the LGBT community has had to answer questions that should never be asked in the first place.

So, to make life just a tad easier, here are 9 myths that the LGBTQ community is tired of hearing:

1. Homosexuality is not natural

(image: saboteur365) This is perhaps the most common myth associated with homosexuality, even though it’s completely wrong. Homosexuality is, just like heterosexuality, absolutely natural. In fact, homosexuality has also been observed in hundreds of animal species.

2. Homosexuality is a choice

(image: giphy) No, it’s not. Just ask yourself, would ANYONE be willing to choose a life where their mere existence makes them a criminal in many countries around the world, where discrimination has to be dealt with on a regular basis and where one can fall victim to potential hate crimes any day, as evident from the Orlando shootings?

3. Gays = Trans

(image: 4.bp.blogspot) This is one myth that stems from simple ignorance. Many people are under the impression that gays and transgender people are all clubbed under one bracket. The truth could not be any further from this. While being gay is a matter of sexual orientation (i.e. who you are attracted to), being transgender is one of gender identity (what gender you identify with).

4. Gay people are more likely to get HIV

(image: nocookie) No, they’re not. HIV is not a disease that suddenly becomes more contagious if it’s a same-sex couple doing the deed. Both heterosexuals as well as homosexuals are at equal risk to catch it and it’s high time people realised that.

5. There is no such thing as ‘Bisexuals’

(image: 45.media) Once again, this is absolutely not true. Bisexuals exist and are just as entitled to their sexuality as you are. And even if they have a partner of the opposite sex, it doesn’t mean that they’ve suddenly stopped being bisexual. It is also not true that a bisexual person cannot be monogamous and has to always have partners of both genders. They can settle down with either a man or a woman.

6. Homosexuality can be ‘cured’

(image: nocookie) Contrary to what religious fanatics and ignorant people might have you believe, homosexuality cannot be cured. Reason being? It’s not a disease in the first place. (It’s also not a phase.) Trying to do so could actually be harmful.

7. All homosexuals were molested as kids

(image: photobucket) The sheer logic (or lack thereof) of this myth is laughable. First of all, if this really was the case, why isn’t every single adult who was molested at a younger age, gay or lesbian? Additionally, there are so many queer folks who weren’t molested as kids that this myth has absolutely no foundation whatsoever.

8. All gays are feminine

(image: snotflickingatthemovies) Ummm what? Apart from the subtle sexism this myth perpetuates, it’s also completely ridiculous. There are many gay guys out there who’d probably be among the most masculine men you’ll ever see, completely checking off all of your stereotypical requirements for what ‘being a man’ entails. That’s not to say that being feminine or masculine is better than the other – it’s just to make the point that gay men come in all varieties and models.

9. Lesbians are just women who’ve not found the ‘right man’

(image: tumblr) Trust me when I say this. Even if Prince Charming himself was to walk up to a lesbian, she’d completely ignore him. Reason being? She’s NOT interested or attracted to men. Period. It has nothing to do with her not having found ‘the right guy’. Why is this so hard to understand? (Perhaps because this is perpetuated by straight men who are too fragile to imagine that not every woman needs a man in her life.)