You are walking on Valentine’s day in the park, holding hands with your significant other as the aura of love surrounds you both. Then you notice a guy walking past you give condescending looks because you are not heterosexual. You cannot help but feel ashamed of who you are and what that public affection means to you. 

Homophobia is defined as the fear, hatred, or prejudice against members in the LGBTQIA+ community. This act of discrimination is what steers a multitude of youth from choosing to be with their partners in public.

This is what it is for some teens who identify as a part of the LGBTQIA+ community. When a boy and girl hold hands it is fine, but when two boys do it, it is wrong. Facing the truth about this is a discussion we should all have. Being an adolescent in this world full of judgments may feel overbearing at times since our opinions and ideas are seen as wrong and impressionable. A handful do not see it as a respectable lifestyle. So when adults and other teens begin to criticize the notion behind teen same-sex relationships, it makes some of us feel uneasy. We begin to judge ourselves because we are told that it is not right.

There will be those parents that do not mind having you invite over your male best friend because when boys are friends with boys it is fine. But in spite of that, if the boy says “that’s my boyfriend,” then the situation changes. There will be a million reasons to justify why, but the real reason will not ever be said.

Firstly, love is love. When you look at the whole of it, if two people love each other that’s all that matters. It won’t be any different if it was a heterosexual couple because the same ounce of love will be there. Living your truth and questioning yourself is normal, but there is a difference between being insecure and judging yourself based on everyone else’s judgements. 

When it comes to love, the possibilities are limitless. Attraction is a strong motivator that cannot be altered in any way because you cannot help who you fall in love with.