Class Excercise

These class exercises have allowed me to reveal parts of myself that not many people have seen. The funny thing is that I know absolutely no one in this class yet I’m comfortable enough to share some really personal things. This exercise was an interesting experience, it was the first time I’ve ever announced my gayness to a large group of people. All the other questions were easy for me, walk across the classroom if you are of LatinX descent, walk across the classroom if you were raised Catholic, walk across the classroom if you’re an immigrant, etc. It was easy to walk for these categories because most of them were things that others know about me, they’re things that I’m pretty open about. I knew the question was coming, I knew sooner or later I was gonna have to decide whether or not I was part of this category. The thing about sexuality is that it’s hard to explain to other people, it’s been a long struggle for me to try and decide what category I fit in to. I find it difficult to relate to labels because they feel permanent. I feel like if I do choose to adopt a label, in some way I have to live up to it and I’m not very good at that. I’m gay. I’m attracted to PEOPLE, for me, it has nothing to do with gender. As I was walking across the classroom, I realized that this was my first time admitting it to someone other than my close friends. When I was told to look at who was with me, I noticed someone I had gone to high school with, we high fived! I noticed two other strangers smiling back at me and for some reason, I felt like crying. It was a good kind of cry.

The most unexpected part of this exercise came towards the end when somebody thanked me for sharing my story. I didn’t feel like it was special or anything, but the idea that someone appreciated me opening up about my personal life was special. Walking across the classroom meant that I was going to be marked, I didn’t mind doing that if it meant someone would feel more comfortable with their labels.