"They Look Just Like Normal People."

----Wednesday Night we watched documentaries that past NYU students had made. The topics were wide ranged: deaf people in Accra, boxing in the slums of Jamestown, being African-American in Ghana and lastly homosexuality. This last topic raised quite a few questions and comments, as homosexuality has recently been made illegal in Ghana. The main film man for the project stepped forward to introduce the movie, and in doing so I already gave him a lot of credit. Filming the movie meant a lot of risk for him, and he still undertook it. It's upsetting to think that I am praising a man for interacting with homosexuals, but the context is so different than the United States. The culture here just shuns it, and for him to so openly support homosexuality takes a lot of courage. Ghana is his home, his culture, and by making this film he took risks because it will stay here, he will stay here, and whatever becomes associated between him and the film will stay here.
----As Isaac introduced the movie he talked about all the things he learned through making the movie. One of the things he learned is how "they look just like normal people, you can't even tell when they walk down the street" AHHHH!!!!!!! Those words came out of his mouth and our jaws dropped. To think there were still people who believed that homosexuals were actually physically different from heterosexuals. And to compare them to "the norm!" At first I was shocked, but after some time I realized I couldn't blame Isaac for his statement, or expect him to believe any different for that matter, as sad as that is. In a culture where homosexuality is illegal in any way shape or form, openness cannot be expected. Isaac had never seen or had any interaction with a homosexual, nor ever learned anything about it, so he only had his own mind and the words of others, to teach him about homosexuals.
In reference to his use of the word "normal," to expect Isaac to know the proper terminology to use when referring to homosexuality would be like expecting him to also be wearing a gay pride shirt, just in support. Ghana is just not on that level yet. There are certain levels some people have to go through in order to fully accept and understand homosexuality. Appropriate terminology is one of the last ones.
----It's so sad and frustrating to me that homosexuality is so taboo, oh wait, illegal, in Ghana. To think that the friends I have at home struggling with homosexuality have it easy, who would have thought.