Monday 8 August 2011

So I got to redeem myself...

Now, you might remember this post.

Anyway, this past Friday was a pretty slack day at work...all the bosses were on vacation, we're all caught up on our work for the month and of course, it was the weekend! So it wasn't really any surprise when Angela popped her head into my cubicle to have a little chit chat and waste the afternoon away.

Being Friday, we got to discussing our plans for the weekend...innocent enough. Angela asked me if I ever go clubbing, which I don't (not my thing), and she nodded slowly at my answer and told me I was a "good boy" =P. We got on to talking about how crazy people at clubs can get, and somehow, that got her onto telling me about an incident that had happened that morning.

"Well, you know, this morning, I saw this one guy I always see in the cafeteria...he's.. you know..." she started. At first it didn't click what the hell she was talking about, but as the conversation went on, it was clear we'd be having another frank conversation.

Tuesday 2 August 2011

"If my kids were gay, I would just..."

I feel as if I'm pretty fortunate in terms of acceptance of gays: my friends, family and acquaintances are all fairly liberal and educated and I live in a fairly liberal part of the country where there's a whole mix of people from different walks of life, so I feel as if most people I encounter are fairly tolerant of diversity. Well, today I got my first real dose of homophobia, something that wasn't just my buddies fooling around and being stupid. This was serious, brutally honest opposition to homosexuality that I haven't really experienced before and I'm still a little shocked and shook up writing about it.

I have a partner who I share my duties with, Angela, at my summer job. She's a little middle aged Korean lady who really is the sweetest thing ever: she's always looking out for me, taking over tasks from me so I don't have to work so much, offering me snacks and coffee throughout the day, keeping me company and opening up all the office social circles for me. We chat a lot with each other since her desk is next to mine, often with her giving me good life advice. She kind of reminds me of some of my aunts or my grandmother, motherly, yet very affectionate and respectful. She's a funny character and her warmth and kindness makes me smile whenever I'm around her.